This aerial photo taken on April 7, 2023 shows a container ship sailing at Tianjin Port in north China's Tianjin. (Photo by Han Xilong/Xinhua)

LANZHOU, June 17 -- A freight train carrying 300 tonnes of magnesium chloride departed from a station of Wuwei City in northwest China's Gansu Province on Thursday, heading for north China's Tianjin Port before arriving at a port in the Republic of Korea.

This marks that the province has launched the East Asia international rail-sea intermodal transportation route.

The train, consisting of 15 40-foot containers, will first arrive at Tianjin Port via rail transport and then go to Kunsan Port in the ROK by sea.

The opening of the train indicates that the import and export enterprises in northwest China have established a fast and convenient international logistics channel with overseas markets. It is of great significance to promote the opening up of the western region of China and expand the economic and trade exchanges of countries along the Belt and Road, according to sources with the Lanzhou freight transport center of the China Railway Lanzhou Group Co., Ltd.