Yiwu exported 1,473,000 cross-border parcels in April, an increase of 867.2% year on year. China Railway Express (CRE) trains transported 68.6% of the parcels.

“We have an urgent demand for the export of goods. The stable operation of the CRE trains allows us to shift from air transport to railway transport, which is not only more time-effective but also 50% more cost-effective than the former,” says Wang Cong, general manager of Yiwu Kaijiang E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

The decrease of international airline flights has laid heavy pressure on the international transport of goods in Hangzhou and Shanghai. Many cross-border e-commerce businessmen are choosing to transfer some of their goods to Yiwu and send them to Europe through the CRE trains.

“The pandemic has interrupted logistics chains, while the advantages of railway transportation have become prominent. The CRE not only saves manpower and greatly reduces infection risks, but also is stable and reliable,” says Fang Xudong, deputy general manager of YXE Trading Service Group. (By Wu Fengyu, translated by Jin Haiqiong, edited by Kendra Fiddler)