Railway links bolster Xiamen's key position in regional logistics

Goods from Southeast Asian countries can also be shipped to Xiamen's seaport and then be loaded onto the rail express to Europe, saving a lot of time compared with transporting the goods by sea the whole way, he said. "This makes Xiamen an important link in the route, a transportation pivot."

In April 2016, a batch of goods from Taiwan was shipped to Xiamen and then transported to Europe through the rail service. In July this year, a second batch of goods from Taiwan also arrived in Europe via the railway. At the end of July, a batch of goods from South Korea and Vietnam also took advantage of the rail service for destinations in Europe.

On their return trips, the train brought back products from Europe such as beverages, biscuits, beers and infant formula.

At present, there is only one train service from Xiamen to Hamburg every week. "Given the robust demand, we are applying to add another weekly trip," Jiang said.

Xiamen aims to provide the service to other Southeast Asian countries in order to expand its client base, he said.

Compared with other transportation methods, the express railway can save at least half the time taken to ship products by sea and can reduce the costs incurred using air cargo by three-fourths.

As a crucial point on the ancient marine Silk Road, Xiamen has gained a reputation for its widespread waterways and flourishing overseas trade.

Xiamen Port, with an annual handling capacity of 9.61 million standard containers, is the 15th-largest terminal in the world and one of the four major shipping centers in China.

With 143 shipping routes linking with regions in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Africa and Southeast Asia, the port is key to enhancing business bonds with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nowadays, the sea-rail combined transportation has enabled Xiamen to play an increasingly important role in foreign exchanges, local officials said.