China-Europe train to Kazakhstan normal, air cargo on hold

The ongoing riots in Kazakhstan have sparked concerns on cargo from China, as the country, which is beside Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has been an important transfer hub from China via the ChinaEurope express trains to Central Asia, Russia, and as far as other European countries.

Sources from customs and freight agencies told the Global Times that the China-Europe freight-train service is going smooth so far, although there is some low efficiency, but air cargo is quickly declining, and cargo flight between the two will be suspended in the next week.

A source from Khorgas Customs, one of the most important hubs from Xinjiang to Kazakhstan, told the Global Times on Friday that ChinaEurope freight-train service is normal, with no backlog.

The Urumqi Customs in Xinjiang also confirmed that everything is normal for ChinaEurope express trains passing through Xinjiang.

But there were some disruptions earlier this month following the riots.

“I had 42 containers originally planned to be transported by the China-Europe express train from Urumqi to Kazakhstan, but the train was cancelled on Tuesday,” an anonymous insider from a freight agency in Xinjiang told the Global Times on Friday.

Global Times learned that the poor transportation of goods started on January 4, which affected the China-Europe freight-train to some extent, especially in the network. Due to the complete suspension of the network in Kazakhstan, there was no network in the railway station, which suspended some customs clearance procedures.

A source from Lianyungang, East China’s Jiangsu Province told the Global Times on Friday that the operation of China-Europe freight train there is normal, and the railway network has now been restored, only to be affected by internet stoppage that delays paperwork.

“The returning goods are also being received as scheduled,” the source said.

However, air cargo transport has declined dramatically after the riots in the city compared to the previous month.

In December 2021, there were 75 direct cargo flights from China to Kazakhstan, but the number declined to eight in the first six days to January 6, data from industry information provider VariFlight sent to the Global Times on Friday showed.

It added that cargo flights have been suspended in next week.