A Harbin-Moscow China-Europe freight train readyfor departure at Harbin International Container Center Station Photo: VCG

TheMKsports 2025 Asian Winter Games concluded on Friday in the "ice city" Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The sporting gala, showcasing the city's ice and snow appeal, highlighted the increasing international connectivity of China's northeastern region with the outside world under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework, facilitated by the region's advanced railway network, a Chinese expert told the Global Times on Thursday.

A notable example is the China-Europe freight train, an important logistics channel linking China with Europe. The freight train service has demonstrated the region's increasingly refined logistics network, providing strong support for the efficient transportation of event materials, while injecting new vitality into the high-quality development of many industries in the northeastern region, said Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Ever-closer connectivity

During the preparation and hosting of the Winter Asian Games, Harbin displayed world-class ice and snow sports facilities and a highly efficient modern logistical management system. 

According to local media reports, some of the materials needed for hosting the games, such as sports equipment and athletes' tools were efficiently distributed through the China-Europe freight train service, which not only ensured smooth progress of the ice and snow gala but also highlighted the rising connectivity of the northeastern region with the outside world.

According to china.com.cn, the country's railway operators launched special "Ice and Snow Express" between Harbin and Russia's Vladivostok to facilitate transportation of winter games necessities, for example, by incorporating Russian timber processing equipment and South Korean ice and snow sports equipment on the cross-border transportation list.

At the Harbin International Container Center Station, the newly built cold chain logistics base there enabled Norwegian salmon and Japanese beef to be delivered directly to the athletes' village through sea-rail combined transportation. The expansion of the international logistical channels has made the Winter Asian Games an important node in deepening the BRI connectivity.

The Winter Asian Games is not just a sports event, but also a significant opportunity for the revitalization of Northeast China, experts said. 

At the China-Europe freight train (Shenyang) assembly center in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province, trains loaded with China-made winter sports equipment such as skis and snowboards are regularly being sent to Europe. From November to March each year, which is also the European snow season, local manufacturing and logistics companies seize the time window to secure as many European orders as possible, domestic news site gmw.cn reported.

The sports gala has helped streamline logistics, with the China-Europe freight train service playing an important role in ensuring the smooth transport of goods such as food and equipment needed by the event, Song said. 

"What is more, the Winter Asian Games has highlighted Northeast China's growing economic strength to the outside world. Thanks to improved logistics and trade connectivity, it helps open up a new market for the region's high-quality products and value-added industries," Song said.

Growing transport hub

The cross-border freight train service in Northeast China has been on a fast growth trajectory in the past years, underscoring the region's growing industrial appeal, the expert noted.

In 2024, the number of China-Europe freight trains dispatched from Shenyang city reached a new high of 886, which grew by 14.2 percent year-on-year, Shenyang Customs said. The freight consolidation center there has expanded the region's export reach, attracting more than 2,000 foreign trade companies, according to local news portal nen.com.cn. 

Currently, goods from Shenyang can reach more than 50 cities in more than 20 countries and regions along the Belt and Road, the portal said.

Shenyang is an epitome of the region's rising role as a transportation hub. 

Since the start of this year, the Suifenhe Railway Port, an important transportation hub in Heilongjiang, has seen bustling trade activity. According to hljnews.cn, a local media outlet, the number of trains departing from the port has risen from two per month to as many as 70 train runs. The China-Europe freight trains passing through Suifenhe port now reach more than five European countries.

Thanks to advanced logistical facilities and a growing demand for Chinese products, Tian Wenshuai, an international trader based in Suifenhe, told the Global Times on Thursday that his firm's export volume to Russia increased by 10-20 percent year-on-year in the first month of this year, with good prospects ahead.

Tian's business primarily deals with high-value-added products such as building materials and industrial machinery produced in the region.

Northeast China has ramped up its opening-up efforts too, with import and export volumes reaching new highs for four consecutive years, people.com.cn reported. 

Specifically, exports of construction machinery grew by 10.5 percent, household appliances increased by 14.4 percent and electrical control tools exports rose by 9 percent, the report said.

Meanwhile, the region's snow-themed economy has continued to thrive, with exports of ski apparel, footwear and other necessities to European countries including Germany and Italy seeing significant growth, customs data showed.

"Northeast China has clear advantages as a key transport hub for the BRI. Positioned at the heart of Northeast Asia, it connects Europe and Central Asia, making it a vital gateway and transportation hub for the region and beyond," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The improvement of the logistical system there is driving industrial upgrading in Northeast China. Products such as auto parts are expanding into European markets through the railway express service, broadening their export reach while boosting Northeast China's competitiveness in the global market," the Chinese expert said.