Change in transport means shows development of China

The changes in transportation shows the development of China and its significance to the world, according to Evgeniy, a Russian who has been living in China for more than two decades. “For these years, I have tried many means of transportation.”

Evgeniy recalled: “I firstly came to China in 1996. At that time, it took me so much time to buy a hard seat ticket to get on a train to Central China Normal University in Wuhan, which is more than a thousand miles away from Beijing. The green train I took used to run like 25 hours.” Back then, Chinese people used to eat instant noodles but hot water was hard to get because one had to go through a very crowded passage to the dining car.

But now it only takes me 4 hours to cover the same distance by taking the Fuxing high-speed train. On the way, passengers can surf the Internet, charge mobile phones and can even order take-outs. Running at 350km/hour, the Fuxing high-speed train has already become a name card of the country.

This year’s Report on the Work of the Government of China said in the past 5 years, the mileage of the Chinese high-speed rail has increased to 42,000km from 25,000km. And the mileage of highway has increased to 177,000km from 136,000km. The capacity of airports has increased to serve another 4 hundred million passengers.

The transportation infrastructure of China help passengers travel easily and guarantees fast commodity circulation. The quick move of people and commodity spurs China’s development. Moreover, it brings more vitality to the global economy.

Today in China, you can enjoy Russian and Italian dishes like spaghetti if you want. The taste is the same as it is in European restaurants. Because the China-Europe freight trains, dubbed as the steel caravan, is carrying the authentic ingredients to China.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), food, clothing, and even house appliances and cars are taken to many places thousands miles away through the China-Europe freight trains.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Over the decade, 108 cities in China were connected with 208 cities in 25 European countries. 65,000 trains carrying 6.04 million containers were operated in total.

In addition, China has opened more than 300 international transport routes, and the maritime service covers all coastal countries along the Belt and Road. 153 cities in 62 countries can be reached by international flights operated by Chinese airlines. Express delivery services by China Post are available in more than 220 countries and regions worldwide. 

The China-Laos Railway has turned Laos into a land-linked country. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, a fine example of China-Indonesia cooperation, will be the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia. The Belgrano freight railroad upgrade project, operated by Chinese companies, will allow agricultural products from Argentina to be transported to the port at lower prices.

“The words of Chinese leaders are convincing to me: ‘Development of all countries is the real development and the common prosperity to all the people is the real prosperity,’” noted Evgeniy, believing China is committed to making the world interconnected and bringing more opportunities.

Source: Xinhua; Trans-editing by Wang Yunya