China has welcomed Ukraine’s launch of a new train on the Silk Road trade route through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China, bypassing Russia, on 15 January, the UNIAN news agency reports.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official representative Hua Chunying announced this at her traditional news briefing in Beijing.
"It (the launch of the train) is of great importance to the development of infrastructure and trade in the economic belt of the Silk Road. As for the new route that Ukraine has developed with the relevant countries, China also welcomes this," Chunying said.
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She also stressed that Beijing welcomes the development of all the existing routes in the region that connect China with Europe.
As UNIAN reported, the ceremonial launch of a freight train from Ukraine to China on the Silk Road trade route, through Georgia and Azerbaijan and bypassing Russia, took place on 15 January. All the formalities between the countries participating in the experiment were resolved within a few days, including the issue of establishment of competitive preferential tariffs for cargo transportation through this route.
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