August 16th marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of China's first China-Europe freight train departing from a free trade zone.

Since its inaugural run on August 16, 2015, the China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train has expanded from a single route to seven, serving over 30 cities in 13 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. This shortens shipping time by 10 to 20 days compared to international ocean freight, providing a more efficient and smooth logistics solution for "Made in China" products such as electronics and photovoltaic panels exported to Europe. At the same time, goods such as Russian timber and Belgian polyethylene also arrive in China via the rails, fostering a booming two-way trade.

At the same time, the customs is supporting the development of the Xiamen International Logistics Port. Leveraging the large railway freight yard at the front yard, the customs' new clearance system is fully utilized. Through proactive data exchange, it provides real-time visibility into companies' acceptance and clearance status, improving regulatory efficiency and enabling immediate inspection, release, and transfer of goods upon arrival. This ensures single-step customs declaration, inspection, and clearance for all trains. Yao Xiangrong, deputy director of Haicang Customs under Xiamen Customs, stated that they will actively expand the application of the "railway fast customs clearance" model, adding customs clearance facilitation measures such as "guided declaration + priority inspection" to continuously improve the operation quality and efficiency of China-Europe freight trains, injecting new impetus into serving the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and promoting China-Europe economic and trade exchanges.