LONDON: The first direct freight train between China and Britain has arrived in London.
The train departed Yiwu West Station in China on 1 Jan 2017 and travelled 12,450 kilometres to Barking in the east of the British capital.
Representatives from the Chinese embassy in London, as well as officials from trade, logistics and investment sectors attended a ceremony to mark the freight train\u2019s arrival.
Containers carrying goods such as household wares, fabrics and clothings travelled through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before crossing the Channel Tunnel into the UK.
The train route is said to cost half the price of air freight and is much faster than sea transport.
It\u2019s thought this new trade route, which the UK has dubbed \u2018The New Silk Road\u2019, will open up improved Sino-British trade relations.
London is now the 15th city to be directly linked to China via train, with the UK keen to be seen as a global trading nation as it heads towards separation from the European Union.<\/p>\n