The first direct train connecting China and Iran, which had departed from the city of Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, has arrived in Iran's capital. (Photo/CCTV.com)
The first train connecting China and Iran has arrived in Tehran. It has delivered 32 containers filled with products delivered from the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.
The 14-day trip covers some 9,500 kilometers through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The monthly train delivery cuts around 30-days off ocean deliveries from Shanghai to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
The train set off from Zhejiang just days after sanctions against Tehran were lifted following the completion of its nuclear accord, and just a month after a visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During his time there, Xi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani laid out a goal of forging economic ties worth U.S.$600 billion a year in the next 10 years.
More than one-third of Iran's foreign trade is with China. And China is Tehran's top customer for oil exports.
The creation of the rail service between China and Iran is part of the Chinese government's long-term "Silk Road" economic initiative.
