In the early hours of August 28th, under the watchful eye of Guangzhou Customs officers stationed at Guangzhou Railway Station, the X8120 train, loaded with "GBA-manufactured" goods such as home appliances and LED lights, departed from Guangzhou International Port, marking the 7th anniversary of the China-Europe Railway Express (Guangzhou).

Since its inaugural run on August 28th, 2016, the China-Europe Railway Express (Guangzhou) has steadily expanded its reach, with an accelerating increase in train frequencies and a continuous enhancement in trade quality.

Over the course of seven years, Guangzhou Customs has recorded a total of 1,193 trips of the China-Europe Railway Express, transporting 110,000 containers of cargo, with a combined import and export value of 31.5 billion yuan. This extensive service network has connected over 40 cities in more than 20 countries across Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. These achievements have injected substantial momentum into the active participation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the Belt and Road Initiative.

As for the number of routes, the initial single outbound route has evolved into a network of 20 routes, forming a dynamic "14 out and 6 in" structure. The train operations have intensified over the years, with an annual growth rate exceeding 70%, from 13 trips in 2016 to 339 trips in 2022.

In 2023, the China-Europe Railway Express (Guangzhou)'s momentum remains robust. In the first seven months, a total of 383 trips were made, transporting 36,600 containers, representing an impressive year-on-year increase of 133.54% and 142.50%, respectively. Notably, for 13 consecutive months, the train has consistently made over 30 trips each month, surpassing the total trips for the entire year of 2022 by 175 days. 

As the number of trips increases, the variety of goods transported by it has expanded, and the quality of service continues to improve. In its early stages, the train primarily carried low-value items like clothing, shoes, kitchenware, and hardware. Leveraging the robust manufacturing cluster in the Greater Bay Area, the region has seen a diversification of export goods in recent years with an optimized export structure. The export of traditional items such as clothing and footwear maintains healthy growth, while high-value products like electronics, machinery, and new energy vehicles have shown remarkable growth.

In the first half of this year, Guangzhou Customs recorded a 1.8-fold increase in the export of high-tech products via the train. Notably, the export of computer and communication products grew by over 2.1 times, and household appliance exports grew by 1.2 times compared to the same period last year.

To meet the export demands of "GBA Manufacturing," Guangzhou Customs, in collaboration with railway authorities and station operators, has developed customized and premium train services. These include regular trains dedicated to communication equipment, LCD televisions, and white goods like microwaves and air conditioners. This initiative supports the export of new energy vehicles via the China-Europe Railway Express. In the first seven months of this year, Guangzhou Customs has supervised five outbound trains carrying a total of 264 new energy vehicles.

Presently, under the supervision of Guangzhou Customs, the import and export routes have constituted a spatial layout of "multi-directional extension and land-sea integration," providing more than 3,000 foreign trade enterprises with a stable international logistics channel.

广州中欧班列开行七周年，广州海关累计监管进出口货值总值315亿元

8月28日凌晨，在广州海关所属广州车站海关关员的现场监管下，一列满载家用电器、LED灯具等“大湾区制造”货物的X8120次班列从广州国际港站驶出，标志着广州中欧班列迎来开行7周年。

自2016年8月28日广州中欧班列首开以来，线路辐射面持续扩大，开行班次加速增长，贸易质量持续提升。

7年间，广州海关累计监管开行进出口中欧班列1193列，发运标箱11万个，申报进出口货物总值315亿元人民币，服务中欧班列联通西欧、东欧、西亚、中亚、东南亚等20多个国家40余个城市，为推动粤港澳大湾区深度参与“一带一路”建设注入强大动力。

在开行线路方面，由7年前只有1条出口线路，目前已形成“14出6进”共20条线路。线路越织越密，开行班次数量逐年走高。2016年至2022年，广州海关监管中欧班列年开行数量由13列增加到339列，年均增长率超过70%。

进入2023年，广州海关监管中欧班列延续高速发展态势，前7月累计开行中欧班列383列，运送货物3.66万标箱，同比分别增长133.54%、142.50%；连续13个月单月发车超过30列，提前175天超2022年全年发运总数。

在开行班次不断增加的基础上，广州中欧班列运输货物品类也不断丰富，发展质量不断提升。2016年，广州中欧班列初启阶段，出口货物以衣服、鞋帽、厨具及五金配件等低附加值货物为主。依托粤港澳大湾区强大制造业集群优势，近年来中欧班列出口产品种类不断丰富，出口结构也不断优化。除了服装、鞋帽等传统商品保持较高增长外，电子设备、机械设备、新能源汽车等高附加值产品出口也呈现明显增长态势。

今年上半年，广州海关监管中欧班列出口高新技术产品同比大幅增长1.8倍，其中计算机与通信技术类产品出口同比增长超过2.1倍，家用电器出口同比增长1.2倍。

为满足“湾区制造”出口需求，广州海关联合铁路部门、场站运营方等发展定制班列、精品班列业务，常态化开行通讯设备专列、液晶电视专列及微波炉、空调机等白色家电专列，支持新能源汽车借力中欧班列打通出口新通道。今年前7月，广州海关已监管发运新能源汽车出口中欧班列5列，总计264辆新能源汽车。

当前，广州海关监管的进出口中欧班列已形成“多向延伸、海陆互联”的空间布局，为3000多家外贸企业提供了稳定的国际物流通道。

文 | 羊城晚报全媒体记者 汪海晏 通讯员 关悦
翻译 | 刘佳慧