IM-Iran rail link vital to Belt and Road trade

A new freight train service from Bayannuur (Bayannur) in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region to Tehran, capital of Iran was launched on May 10.

The train was due to carry 1,150 metric tons of sunflower seeds through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on a journey of 8,352 kilometers. 

The journey should take around 15 days in total, 20 days less than by cargo ship.

Bayannuur is China's largest sunflower seed production area. It exports about 180,000 tons of sunflower seeds annually, with 90 percent of them destined for the Middle East, Europe and the United States. 

Thanks to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, agricultural products from Bayannuur are now exported to more than 80 countries and regions, and its export volume has topped Inner Mongolia for nine consecutive years.

The train will also bring specialities such as Persian carpets, saffron and nuts when returning from Tehran, so as to build close trade ties with countries along the Belt and Road in middle and west Asia.

The launch of the new freight train service provides Bayannuur with an excellent opportunity to cooperate with surrounding countries, further strengthening the participation of Inner Mongolia in the development of the global economy.