Chinese, Polish presidents highlight improved railway links

Combo photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda (R), waving towards the first CHINA RAILWAY Express freight train as it arrives at the platform in Warsaw, Poland, on June 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

WARSAW - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, on Monday attended an arrival ceremony of a CHINA RAILWAY Express freight train, which signaled increasing railway links between the two countries.

The freight train carrying dozens of containers pulled into a cargo terminal in the Polish capital on Monday afternoon after travelling over 12 days from China.

Xi and Duda congratulated each other on the historic moment for the arrival of the first China-Europe freight train under the family brand CHINA RAILWAY Express.

The trans-continent train service began in 2011 before starting to use the family brand earlier this month. At present, there are 39 cargo train routes connecting the two continents of Eurasia.

Xi, who is on a state visit to Poland, has said he expects that cooperation projects like the China-Europe freight train service could play a pilot role in promoting the construction of the Belt and Road and China-Poland cooperation in inter-connectivity and industrial capacity.

"The great Belt and Road Initiative fully complies with Poland's development strategy of transportation and trade, and plays a pivotal role in cementing bilateral ties," said Polish Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk at the arrival ceremony.

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt that links China with Europe through Central and Western Asia by inland routes and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road connecting China with other Asian countries, Africa and Europe by sea routes.