Yantai's?first Europe-Asia freight train departs on Dec 22. [Photo/chinanews.com]

A?Europe-Asia freight train departed from Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province on Dec 22, the first of its kind in Yantai city. The train is heading for Kazakhstan, filled with goods of companies from Yantai and Weihai city.

Wang Xiaojun, vice mayor of Yantai, attended the launching ceremony and said that the Europe-Asia freight train service offers a convenient and efficient export channel for the city and will help it explore markets in Asia and Europe to promote the city’s global competitiveness.

The Europe-Asia freight trains departing from Shandong are operated under the name of "Qilu", ?another name of the province. The move is good for resource integration, route planning and optimization of transportation.

Yantai, a city playing an important role in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, has trade cooperation with more than 60 countries?involved the Belt and Road Initiative. Yantai port is also open to more than 100 ports in more than 70 countries and regions in the world.