中欧班列：拉紧西中合作纽带

共建“一带一路”倡议是中国政府提出的一项宏大的发展计划，旨在重新确立东西方之间的商贸文化联系。共建“一带一路”倡议是一个覆盖全球的互联互通网络，设立的初衷是为沿线国家和企业带来更多经济成果。

共建“一带一路”倡议包含丝绸之路经济带、21世纪海上丝绸之路。陆路铁路运输将中国与东南亚、地中海和欧洲地区连接起来，海路通过连接华东和欧洲，增强了两地港口的连通性。

自2013年共建“一带一路”倡议启动以来，西班牙政府在不同场合表达了对该倡议的支持。西班牙参与了2015年亚投行的成立。2017年5月和2019年4月，西班牙首相和外长分别在各自对华进行国事访问期间出席了第一届和第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛。西班牙对外贸易发展局也就共建“一带一路”倡议提供的潜在机会面向西班牙企业举办了多场研讨会。

西班牙参与了多个沿线国家的项目，主要涉及工程、建筑、环保、能源和水资源处理等领域，迄今为止最成功的项目是中欧班列，从义乌到马德里，是全球里程最长的列车。

本文主要阐述目前中欧班列在西班牙的情况，聚焦于列车的日常运营、所取得的成就以及对西中两国在经济发展和互联互通方面的贡献，介绍中欧班列运营中西班牙面临的挑战以及为确保铁路的可持续运营双方需要做的工作。

⬆ 2020年6月5日，开往西班牙马德里的 “义新欧”中欧班列防疫专列由浙江义乌西站出发（新华社 吕斌摄）

义乌-马德里铁路造福两国人民

自2011年启动以来，中欧班列取得了举世瞩目的发展成就，通达欧洲22个国家。连接浙江省义乌市和西班牙马德里市的线路上的货运量位居中欧班列前列。

义乌-马德里铁路自2014年11月起开始运营，是迄今为止世界上最长的铁路线，距离逾13000公里。铁路始于世界上最大的小商品批发中心义乌市，途径哈萨克斯坦、俄罗斯、白俄罗斯、波兰、德国和法国，最终抵达马德里。

阿拉贡自治区萨拉戈萨市是西班牙的物流中心之一，也是中西商贸合作的典范。义新欧集团作为中欧班列（义乌—马德里）系列班列运营商，能够通过与西班牙国家铁路公司和西班牙铁路基础设施管理机构等本地铁路运营商合作，利用西班牙联合运输等多种途径将货品运至任何一座西班牙的城市。

义乌-马德里铁路为缩短中西两地运输距离、加强双边贸易关系做出了重要贡献，过去数年来双边贸易额和投资额不断增长的态势便是很好的例证。得益于猪肉出口的良好势头，2020年西班牙出口额同比增长了20.1%，达81.69亿欧元。西班牙对华投资额从2019年的1.423亿欧元增至18.12亿欧元，中国对西投资额从2019年的1.643亿欧元增至9.559亿欧元。

随着双边贸易往来的加深，中西人民能够享用到更多的高质量产品，中西双边贸易额的增长极大地提高了人民的生活水平。

目前，有超过160家中资企业在西班牙开展业务，为西班牙创造了将近15000个就业岗位，其中不乏各个业务领域的龙头企业。同时，西班牙也在中国的经济增长中起到了建设性的作用。约600家西班牙企业在中国的能源、汽车、金融服务和工业科技等高附加值产业开展业务。

接下来，中西两国将继续利用科技手段促进区域互联互通，平衡两国的贸易和投资关系，并确保两国经贸投资的可持续性。自2014年起，从义乌到马德里的铁路运输时间从21天降至16天，货运班次从一周一班增至一周两班。相比于海运和空运，铁路运输更环保，对于定制产品而言更为灵活，且运输时间比海运短，运输成本比空运低。

为抗击疫情发挥关键作用

去年全年，中欧班列的货运量维持在了一个平稳水平，为稳定全球供应链价值链做出了重要贡献，未受新冠肺炎疫情较大冲击。鉴于全球海运和空运成本的不断上升，铁路运输已成为从中国进口医疗物资等产品的有效可靠途径。

义乌-马德里铁路从中起到了很大作用，大量医疗物资得以从中国运输至西班牙。冬季中断的铁路运输于2020年3月21日重启，满载着中方捐赠的医疗器械的货箱运至西班牙。

交通绿色通道有利于减缓交通压力，加速清关，减少通关手续，在运输医疗物资和疫情防控物资到西班牙的过程中起到了关键作用，同时也是降低义乌-马德里铁路运输时间、提高货运量的关键途径。

机遇和挑战

尽管义乌-马德里铁路十分高效，但要想实现收益的最大化，西班牙需要解决以下三个挑战：

西班牙的铁路轨距有别于欧盟，列车行驶至边境口岸站需要进行换装作业。由于西班牙的轨距更宽，换轨会降低物流效率，因此西班牙境内流通的集装箱数量要低于欧洲和中国。

俄罗斯对欧洲农产品的交通禁令对西班牙出口有一定的负面影响。但在与相关企业和国家协商之后，俄罗斯禁令于2020年7月取消。

与铁路基础设施的脱离及非电气化铁路区段均使冷藏集装箱的运输变得十分不便，这些技术挑战影响了西班牙的猪肉出口。西班牙正在考虑使用生物柴油，使冷藏集装箱能够单独存放三天，不过这种做法的环境成本是很高的。

西班牙政府希望继续通过义乌-马德里铁路增进与中国的经贸联系。两国需要加强政策协调，确保铁路运营的可持续性，并推动中欧班列快速增长，使之成为安全运输的首选项，进而吸引投资，提高铁路运输服务水平。

结论

义乌-马德里铁路被证实是一种具有竞争力且安全的交通方式，特别是在全球抗击新冠疫情期间，该铁路在供应医疗设施与加强商贸联系方面发挥了关键作用。

中西两国日益密切的双边关系应成为两国开展进一步合作的助推剂，帮助两国拓宽区域设施互联互通并推进设施现代化，帮助两国企业克服国际性挑战，为未来创造更多商业机会。

编辑 | 张   梅

翻译 | 齐晓彤

设计 | 大   米

INTRODUCTION

The
“One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) Initiative is the Chinese Government’s
ambitious strategy to re-establish commercial and cultural links between
the East and the West. This New Silk Road is a global connectivity
network designed to generate economic benefits for all countries and
companies involved.

The
OBOR initiative comprises the ancient Silk Road and the sea routes of
the 21st century, dividing these routes into different economic
corridors. Land routes connect China with Southeast Asia, the
Mediterranean region and Europe by train, whereas sea routes enhance
connectivity of ports to link East China with Europe.

Since
its launch in 2013, Spain has shown its support to the OBOR Initiative
on several occasions. Spain took part in the foundation of the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (BAII) in 2015 and both the President of
the Government of Spain and the Minister of Foreign Affairs attended the
first and second OBOR Forum on their respective official trips, in May
2017 and April 2019. The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) has
also organized multiple seminars on the opportunities offered by the
OBOR initiative to Spanish companies.

Spain
has participated in several projects, mainly in the engineering,
construction, environment, energy and water treatment industries, in
countries that have joined the OBOR Initiative. Up to the present, one
of the most successful projects is the world’s longest rail link, which
runs from Yiwu to Madrid.

This
piece aims to introduce the current situation of the China-Europe
Railway Express in Spain, with a special focus on its operations,
progress and contribution in terms of economic development and
connectivity for both countries. A brief introduction to the challenges
faced by the Spanish side as well as the actions to be taken to
guarantee the sustainable development of the railway line are presented
at the end of this article.

CHINA-EUROPE RAILWAY EXPRESS IN SPAIN

Since
its launch in 2011, the China-Europe Railway express has experienced a
remarkable development and now features 20 railway lines. The route that
links Yiwu, in Zhejiang province, and Madrid has one of the highest
levels of activity within the China-Europe railway. 

The
Yiwu-Madrid railway line has been operating since November 2014 and is
by far the longest rail link in the world, covering a distance of more
than 13,000 kilometres. The rail line starts in Yiwu, the world's
largest commodity distribution centre, and extends across Kazakhstan,
Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France before reaching its final
destination, Madrid. 

In
April 2019, the first stop of the Yiwu-Madrid railway line in Zaragoza,
one of Spain´s logistic centres, was an excellent example of business
collaboration between Spain and China. The railway operator, YXE Group,
can transport merchandise to any Spanish city thanks to its cooperation
with local railway operators, such as Renfe and Adif, and the multiple
possibilities offered by intermodal transportation in Spain.

The
Yiwu-Madrid rail line has contributed towards shortening distances and
strengthening bilateral trade between both countries. The upward trend
in exports and investment flows over the past years is a good example of
this. In 2020, Spanish exports increased by 20.1% year-on-year,
reaching EUR 8,169 million, thanks to the momentum gained by pork meat
exports. Spain’s investment outflow to China reached EUR 1,812 million
compared to EUR 142.3 million in 2019, and Chinese investment in Spain
reached EUR 955.9 million compared to EUR 164.3 million in the previous
year.

This
increase in bilateral trade has had a remarkably positive impact on the
lives of citizens, as they have now gained access to a wider range of
high-quality products (Graphics  1 and 2).

More
than 160 Chinese enterprises have established operations in Spain, many
of which are leading companies in their respective markets, having
created around 15,000 jobs opportunities in Spain. On the other hand,
our country is also taking a constructive role in China's economic
development. Around 600 Spanish companies are estimated to have
established operations in China within high value-added sectors, such as
the energy, automotive, financial services or industrial technology
sectors.

Both
countries continue to work on technological solutions to promote
regional connectivity in order to rebalance trade and investment
relations and ensure their sustainability. Since 2014, transit time from
Yiwu to Madrid has decreased from 21 days to 16 days, and freight
frequency has increased from 1 trip per week to 2 trips per week. Rail
freight is an attractive alternative to shipping by sea and air, as it
is more environmentally friendly and offers higher flexibility for
customized products. Transit times are shorter compared to shipping by
sea, and costs are lower than those of air-freight.

 

THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Despite
the COVID-19 outbreak, freighting activity on the China-Europe Railway
express has remained stable throughout the past year, which has
contributed to restoring international supply and value chains. Given
the rising costs of sea and air freight worldwide, rail freight has
become a reliable and effective channel for importing medical supplies
and other products from China.

The
Yiwu-Madrid rail line has not been an exception as it has played a
significant role in the delivery of Chinese medical supplies purchased
by Spanish authorities. Transportation, which ceases during winter
months, was resumed on March 21st 2020, as cargos loaded with donated
medical devices were shipped to Spain.

The
opening of a green channel that eases transportation, customs clearance
and reduces overall bureaucracy has greatly contributed to the delivery
of health and prevention supplies donated to Spain. This has also been a
determining factor in reducing transportation times and increasing
freight volume on the Yiwu-Madrid railway.

The
number of trains increased dramatically as Chinese exports to Europe
and Spain boomed, transporting goods such as masks, protective suits,
and office equipment. From January 1st to December 2nd 2020, the railway
company YXE Group managed the shipping of goods in a total of 868
trains with 71,540 TEUs, compared to 514 trains and 42.268 TEUs in 2019,
(Graphic 3).

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Despite
the high effectiveness of the Yiwu-Madrid rail link, Spain currently
faces three challenges that hinder the maximization of potential
benefits:

●
Spain’s railways have a different gauge from those in the European
Union and changes in railway infrastructure are needed on route. As a
result of this wider gauge, the number of containers circulating in
Spain is lower than in Europe and China.

●
Russia's ban on the transportation of agri-food products from Europe
had a negative impact on some of Spain´s main exports. However,
sanctions were lifted in July 2020 following negotiations with the
companies and countries affected. 

●
Technological challenges, such as disconnections from the rail
infrastructure and non-electrified railway sections, make it difficult
to incorporate frozen containers. This issue affects Spanish pork meat.
The use of biodiesel is being considered as it would allow frozen
containers to be independent for three days, but the environmental cost
is high. 

The
Spanish government aims to continue strengthening economic and trade
relations with China through the Yiwu-Madrid railway. A set of
coordinated actions must be taken in order to ensure the sustainability
of the railway, to promote its growth as a safe transportation
alternative, to attract investment, to upgrade its services and to
provide institutional support for conflict resolution in third
countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Editor | Zhang Mei

Design | Demi