China has launched a new railway connection with Germany, bypassing Russia
Trains from China to Germany now run past the Russian Federation. A new railway route has been laid to the German city of Mannheim. This was reported by the government portal China.org.
To bypass Russia, China and Germany decided to route through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. That is, it passes through the Caspian and Black Seas, which trains will cross with the help of combined rail and sea transport.
The route is already in use. In particular, on April 13, he left the city of Xi'an for the first train loaded with sporting goods.
"The new route covers countries and regions that have rarely visited China-Europe freight trains in the past, opening up new markets for domestic and international companies," said the CEO of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Company. Ltd. Yuan Xiaojun
It should be noted that the Russian authorities have openly stated that in the conditions of the economic blockade, which the West is creating by imposing sanctions, Russia will count on the support of China. At the same time, a few days after the start of the full-scale war, the media reported that rail traffic between Russia and China had virtually stopped.
In March, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported, citing several sources, that Chinese shippers had begun suspending the transit of goods through Russia to the EU.
Russia is also offering China big discounts on oil, but Chinese state-owned companies are still not signing new supply contracts, following Beijing's advice. This decision by China, in particular, is related to the US ban on Russian oil.