China-Europe trains boon for trade

"After choosing your favorite designs, you just need to click the mouse to complete the payment. The package will be shipped directly to your home, and you can also enjoy a 14-day return policy," said Selle.

Selle's company, Weiju Fanxing Global Cross-border Live Broadcast Base, was set up in the Xi'an International Trade and Logistics Park early this year. Currently, it has nearly 80 livestreamers from home and abroad who perform 50 livestreaming sessions every week, selling products to overseas customers.

"The base's parent company has branches in Shanghai, London and Los Angeles. As we began to focus more on overseas markets, we decided to set up a cross-border livestreaming center in Xi'an as the city's Chang'an China-Europe freight train service helps us have easy access to a complete supply chain and low-cost international delivery services," said Wang Fang, who is in charge of the base.

In 2022, the Chang'an China-Europe freight train made 4,639 trips, 198 of which were dedicated to cross-border e-commerce business, an annual increase of over 60 percent. It covers locations producing goods in Asia and Europe, like Mannheim, Germany; Prague, the Czech Republic; and Milan, Italy, with 17 international routes.

Ten years on, the BRI has evolved into a mutually beneficial program, with improving cross-border collaboration. Anita Jumekenova, a Kazakh entrepreneur, and her husband Yuan Zhaohui from China have felt the benefits deeply.

Starting from a brick-and-mortar store in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, they founded a cross-border e-commerce platform called the Silkroad City Shop and built six warehouses in Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, and cooperated with more than 300 Chinese suppliers and 2,000 Kazakh delivery stations.

They also teamed up with over 2,000 local online influencers in Kazakhstan to promote products. "Just pick up your mobile phone to shoot and share videos about the products and you can get a commission. It provides local young people with opportunities for employment and business startups," said Jumekenova.

"We are fortunate to benefit from the BRI and Chang'an China-Europe freight train services, and we hope to bring benefits to more people along the route," she added.

Xinhua