A freight train departed from southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality on June 23, arriving in Duisburg, Germany on Monday, marking the 10,000th trip by the China-Europe freight trains operated by the China-Europe Railway Express (Chongqing).

Du Chunguo, the Chinese Consul General in Dusseldorf, Markus Teuber, commissioner for China affairs of the Mayor's Office of Duisburg, and Duisport CEO Markus Bangen attended a welcome ceremony in Duisburg on Monday afternoon.

The leap-forward development of the China-Europe Railway Express (Chongqing) is the epitome of the deepening and solid cooperation between China and Germany and between China and Europe, Du said in his welcoming speech.

The annual trade volume was less than 300 million U.S. dollars between the two countries 50 years ago, but now that takes only 12 hours on average to accomplish. The China-Europe trade volume has increased by 250 times in the past 40 years, he added.

The China-Europe Railway Express is an important trade channel between Germany and China apart from sea transportation, Bangen told China News Service.

He believes the two partners will surely witness more fruitful cooperation results on the basis of equal exchange.

The China-Europe Railway Express (Chongqing), launched in March 2011, has witnessed the transportation of over 1,000 types of goods ranging from smart terminals and whole vehicles to auto parts and medicines, with a total value exceeding 400 billion yuan (about $60 billion).

The China-Europe Railway Express (Chongqing) now operates nearly 40 routes that reach about 100 cities in Asia and Europe.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.