Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Wei Yonggui) news: Recently, a China-Europe freight train, fully loaded with mechanical parts, clothing, general merchandise, electronic products, and other goods, departed from the Alashankou Station, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with a whistle, heading towards Malasewicze, Poland.

The departure of this freight train marks the milestone that over 2,000 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains have passed through the Alashankou railway port this year, bringing the cumulative total to over 45,000 trains.

Standing at the forefront of a new era, Alashankou has become an international transportation hub connecting Central Asia and Europe. With the deepening advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, Alashankou City is burgeoning with new growth.

Photo taken on April 26, 2025 shows China-Europe freight trains and other cargo trains are ready for both inbound and outbound journeys in the marshalling yard of Alashankou Station. (Photo by Song Yulong)

Day and night

Alashankou City is bustling during the daytime.

Here serves as both a terminus and a starting point. To the east, the railway and highway corridors extend to 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across China. To the west, the railway links up 21 countries, including Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, and Hungary. Trucks and trains speed through here, one after another.

At the comprehensive inspection area at Alashankou Station, drones patrol along the train's trajectory, and enclosed gallery bridges automatically dock with the trains for cargo inspection. Liu Fei, the instructor of the second shift at the Alashankou Entry-Exit Frontier Inspection Station, said: "We have innovatively implemented the clearance model of 'immediate processing upon vehicle stoppage,' setting up fixed inspection points at the front and rear of the trains, complemented by panoramic scanning technology using drones, which has increased the efficiency of the entire cargo inspection by 40 percent."

In the evening, Alashankou City comes alive with a mix of domestic and international merchants, truck drivers, and local residents all gathering together to enjoy life.

In April, as the weather gradually warms up, the Bortala Road, known for its night market stalls, becomes lively. The aroma of grilled meat and roasted chicken fills the air, as people from various countries and regions come together to savor the delicacies and clink glasses of beer.

Baoshan, the person in charge of Jiangtai International Logistics Co., Ltd. in Alashankou City, often meets with Chinese clients at this night market. Baoshan is the Chinese name he chose for himself.

Jiangtai Company, where Baoshan works, is headquartered in Belarus and has established a branch in China to better serve its clients. In 2021, Baoshan, as the head of the Chinese branch, moved to Alashankou City with his wife and children to settle down. "A wide range of general merchandise and electronic machinery equipment from Central Asia, Russia, Belarus, and various European countries all come from China. Goods departing from Alashankou can quickly reach their destinations. Alashankou has a geographical advantage," Baoshan said.

In 2010, with the support of his parents, Baoshan came to China to study, and after graduating from university in 2014, he worked at an international trade railway transportation company in Lianyungang, China’s Jiangsu Province. His long-term work and life in China have made him feel very close to the country. "In Alashankou, I am very happy in my life. China is my second hometown," he said.

Windtalkers

Historically, Alashankou has been a passage for nomadic traffic and trade. On September 12, 1992, the extension of Alashankou Station to the west connected with the Dostyk Station in Kazakhstan, marking the official birth of the New Eurasian Land Bridge (also known as the "Second Eurasian Continental Bridge"). A major railway artery began operation, starting from Lianyungang in the east, passing through Xinjiang and Kazakhstan and Russia, and extending to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in the west.

Photo shows beautiful Alashankou City in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Wang Weiquan)

In 1991, Alashankou commenced temporary cargo services. "At that time, we exported white sugar and in return received fertilizers and pelletized ore. It was a barter system with no cash transactions. The port was only conducting import and export trade with Kazakhstan, and the annual cargo volume was only 160,000 tons," Azatihan Tuhan, one of the first-generation railway builders of Alashankou, said.

Spotting the business opportunities in the Central Asian market, trade companies with import and export qualifications from all over the country began flocking to Alashankou to set up offices in 1993. The influx of people, goods, and capital stimulated the development of the Alashankou port.

Li Chenglie, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Alashankou City, is one of the first builders here. Today, all the road frameworks and the front square of the train station in Alashankou are the result of the planning by that generation.

"At that time, Alashankou was like a blank sheet of paper. My idea was to plan in such a way that it would not become outdated for at least 20 years. After the port was established as a city in 2012, the basic structure remained unchanged, which is particularly gratifying to me," Li Chenglie said.

The city's construction has transformed the climate and environment. For over 30 years, Alashankou City has carried out large-scale afforestation efforts twice a year, which has greened the environment, reduced wind speeds, and increased air humidity, leading to a year-by-year decrease in the number of days with gales above level seven.

In May 2011, the State Council approved the establishment of the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, which was the first of its kind in Xinjiang, ushering in new development opportunities for Alashankou.

As a key hub for China's opening to the west, in recent years, Alashankou has been transitioning from a "channel economy" to a "hub economy." Within the Comprehensive Bonded Zone, nearly 800 enterprises have gathered to develop around logistics, processing, and trade. In 2024, the import and export trade value of the Comprehensive Bonded Zone exceeded 30 billion yuan (about four billion U.S. dollars), and the annual export volume of cross-border e-commerce packages exceeded 27 million.

Zhu Li, director of the Bureau of Commerce and Industrial Information of Alashankou City, said that with the accelerated progress of the port expansion and upgrade project, combined with innovative measures such as the construction of a smart port, it is expected that the customs clearance capacity will be increased by 30 percent this year. At that time, it will be able to support the efficient operation of an average of 50 train services per day. This will truly establish a two-way international logistics corridor of "linking the east and going to the west, and coming from the west to the east," providing stronger momentum for economic and trade cooperation across the Eurasian continent.

Cross-border E-commerce

In a direct-sale store for imported goods within the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, a dazzling array of foreign products is on display, including wines from Georgia, chocolates from Russia, honey from Kazakhstan, enamel pots from Ukraine. The shop owner, He Dong, is busy attending to customers and introducing the products.