Expert Insights Rail transport to and from China - Finland Alongside air and sea freight there is now an attractive way of sending goods between China and Finland: rail. It takes between 15 and 18 days for Chinese and Russian trains to transport containers from northern and central China. In this white paper we look closely at the advantages of this method as well as the challenges. Two decades ago, trade between China and Europe was still in its infancy, a strong contrast to the situation today with the two forming one of the largest economic partnerships in the world. In this short time, the two superpowers have become financially integrated and no one can imagine it coming to an end. The physical distance between China and Europe is large, and can be a challenge for businesses wanting to optimise their supply chains when it comes to transit times and costs. As sea freight offers the lowest costs, it is currently the preferred method of shipment to and from China. However, transit times are long, so when there is a need to save time then air freight comes into play, even though the costs are much higher. Recently, rail has positioned itself directly between sea and air, being less costly than air freight and faster than ships. Rail service is now available directly to Finland. Trade between China and EU 2004-2017 EU Exports EU Imports billion EUR 700 600 500 170 169 198 400 300 200 43 100 114 0 2004 351 345 374 2015 2016 2017 2
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