URUMQI -- Alashankou and Horgos, two major railway ports in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have facilitated the passage of more than 100,000 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains, according to customs authorities of Urumqi, the regional capital.

Alashankou, also known as Alataw Pass, now hosts 127 China-Europe freight train routes, and Horgos railway port operates 89 such routes. These routes reach 21 countries — including Germany, Poland and Hungary.

The Alashankou and Horgos ports, located on the border with Kazakhstan, serve as key transportation corridors connecting China with Central Asia and Europe. The launch of the first China-Europe freight train service in 2011 transformed China's northwestern border region into a frontier for the country's opening-up endeavors.

The types of goods carried by China-Europe freight trains along these routes have expanded from a cohort of computers and mobile phones to a diverse array of over 200 products — including new energy vehicles, industrial machinery, and grain and oil products.