First Britain-China freight train departs

The first freight train to run from Britain to China departed on Monday, carrying goods like vitamins, baby products and pharmaceuticals as Britain seeks to burnish its global trading credentials for when it leaves the European Union. The 7,500-mile (12,000 km) journey from eastern England to eastern China will take three weeks, around half the time needed for the equivalent journey by boat. The first freight train from China arrived in Britain in January. Britain is trying to enhance its trade links with the rest of the world as it prepares to leave the EU in two years’ time. Run by Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment, the Yiwu-London freight service makes London the 15th European city to have a direct rail link with China after the 2013 unveiling of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Reuters.