The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 31th briefing session on issues of major concern in Beijing on Nov 20, focusing on facilitating the high-quality development of the China-Europe Railway Express.

Jiang Zuojun, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

Vice-Minister of Transport Li Yang spoke about the relevant work progress. He noted that the Ministry of Transport has actively promoted cooperation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, expanded routes of the China-Europe Railway Express, and responded to emergencies in a timely manner, supporting the high-quality development of the service.

Li also highlighted that by the end of October 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express has made 118,600 trips, carrying 11.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo. Moving forward, the ministry will exert its best efforts in train operations monitoring, transport corridor development, international cooperation and emergency response, driving the freight train service toward higher quality, more profits and enhanced safety, he said.

Xiao Weiming, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said that the NDRC has leveraged the coordinating role of the Steering Group for the Belt and Road Initiative to work with relevant partners on a range of measures, consolidating the foundation for the high-quality development of the express service.

Xiao stressed the importance of improving top-level design and implementing a long-term mechanism for risk monitoring and control, so as to adopt targeted measures to tackle bottlenecks. More efforts will be made to build a high-quality assembly center and create a favorable public opinion environment, facilitating the high-quality development of the service during the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

CPPCC National Committee members and officials from relevant government departments also exchanged views on issues such as strengthening the development of the China-Europe Railway Express, hosting the second China-Europe Railway Express Cooperation Forum, and enhancing the capacity of risk prevention in cross-border transportation.