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China launches first train service to travel all the way to Britain carrying socks to east London | |
(about 13 hours later) | |
China has launched its first ever train service to travel all the way to Britain. | |
The locomotive will cover 7,456 miles and pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before reaching Barking, east London. | The locomotive will cover 7,456 miles and pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before reaching Barking, east London. |
Filled with £4m worth of goods, including socks, clothes, bags and suitcases, the freight train departed on 1 January, and will take 18 days to complete its journey, reports the Xinhua news agency. | Filled with £4m worth of goods, including socks, clothes, bags and suitcases, the freight train departed on 1 January, and will take 18 days to complete its journey, reports the Xinhua news agency. |
The UK is the eighth country to be added to the China-Europe line, and London the 12th European city. | The UK is the eighth country to be added to the China-Europe line, and London the 12th European city. |
The development is part of President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy to connect Asia with Europe and Africa on old Silk Road trading routes. | The development is part of President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy to connect Asia with Europe and Africa on old Silk Road trading routes. |
According to the China Railway Corporation, the service will improve China-Britain trade ties and strengthen the rising superpower’s links to western Europe. | According to the China Railway Corporation, the service will improve China-Britain trade ties and strengthen the rising superpower’s links to western Europe. |
Because of the differing railway tracks involved in the journey, a single train cannot travel the entire route, meaning the containers need to be reloaded at various points. | |
The initiative came the same day that China Central Television, the country’s biggest and most important TV network, launched a new global platform. | The initiative came the same day that China Central Television, the country’s biggest and most important TV network, launched a new global platform. |
The state broadcaster aims to help rebrand China overseas, with Mr Xi urging the network to “tell China's story well… and showcase China's role as a builder of world peace”. | The state broadcaster aims to help rebrand China overseas, with Mr Xi urging the network to “tell China's story well… and showcase China's role as a builder of world peace”. |
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