China is accelerating the transformation of its Eurasian logistics network. During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu plans to significantly expand its role in China–Europe railway freight transport, turning several key cities into major logistics hubs. This was announced by Wu Yonghong, head of the provincial transport authority, at a transport sector meeting in Jiangsu, according to China News Service (Zhongxin She), DKNews.kz reports.
The strategy goes beyond simply increasing cargo volumes. Jiangsu aims to build a comprehensive rail logistics ecosystem linking China’s eastern seaboard with Central Asia and Europe.
Lianyungang and Xuzhou as new rail freight hubs
As part of the plan, Lianyungang and Xuzhou will see the construction of high-standard collection and distribution centers for China–Europe freight trains. These hubs will consolidate, process and redistribute cargo moving along international rail corridors.
At the same time, Suzhou is set to become a key service center for China–Europe trains and, in the longer term, a major international rail freight node in the Yangtze River Delta.
Together, these cities form a multi-layered logistics model combining port access, inland rail hubs and service infrastructure.
Over 10,000 China–Europe trains in five years
Official statistics highlight how rapidly rail freight has already expanded in Jiangsu. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), the province handled a total of 10,490 China–Europe freight trains, an increase of 99.6 percent compared with the previous five-year period.
In 2025 alone, the number of arrivals and departures reached 2,308 trains, marking the sixth consecutive year of record volumes.
Analysts note that Jiangsu has emerged as one of China’s fastest-growing regions for overland international logistics.
New routes and a stronger link to Central Asia
Looking ahead to 2026, provincial authorities plan to further boost international freight capacity. Key measures include:
- building high-standard logistics hubs in Lianyungang and Xuzhou;
- launching an additional China–Europe rail route;
- opening one more overseas warehouse;
- developing branded intermodal sea-rail container routes.
One route highlighted by officials is Lianyungang–Khorgos–Tashkent, directly linking China’s eastern coast with Central Asia via overland corridors.
Why this matters
The expansion of China–Europe rail transport comes amid growing uncertainty in global maritime shipping, rising freight costs and geopolitical risks. Against this backdrop, overland rail routes are becoming a strategic alternative for China’s exporters and logistics operators.
For Central Asia and Kazakhstan in particular, routes passing through Khorgos strengthen the region’s transit role and promise higher cargo flows.
By positioning Jiangsu as a key rail logistics gateway, China is effectively building a land bridge between East Asia, Central Asia and Europe. If the province’s 15th Five-Year Plan targets are fully realized, a significant share of future Eurasian freight could move along these corridors in the years ahead.
