During a visit to China, the editorial team of Hungary Today had the opportunity to stop by the Asia-Europe Logistics Park in Wuhan, where our hosts were waiting for us with a Hungarian surprise. As we learnt, Tokaj wines have been supplied to China via the Asia-Europe Economic Corridor for seven years and are very popular among young people.
Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Park (Photo: Hungary Today)
Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Park is a Chinese key project for strengthening the comprehensive transportation freight hub chain, an initiative in Hubei Province’s transportation logistics development plan. It also serves as a core project for Wuhan to build a land port-type logistics hub, and a core hub for the China-Europe Railway Express (Wuhan) assembly center. With the Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Park, Hubei Province is better able to integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative and ensure the safe and stable operation of industrial and supply chains.
The Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Company connects 118 cities from 40 countries of the Belt and Road Initiative on 56 routes. Every week, 7 block trains travel to Europe, and they are not empty on the return journey either. They transport European goods to China, including Hungarian and French wines, German beers and Polish milk.
Tokaj wines have been part of the portfolio since 2017.
Tokaj. Photo: Facebook/Tokaj Borvidék Fejlesztési Tanács
In addition, Tokaj was selected by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as one of the world’s best highlighted settlements. This was the first time that a Hungarian municipality received such a prestigious honor in the field of tourism.
As we were told, the first freight train, consisting of 50 fully loaded wagons, departed on the Wuhan-Hungary line just 2 years later, in December 2019, marking the beginning of a new train service.
For China, Hungary is an important transport hub in Central and Eastern Europe and an important transit and distribution center for Chinese products destined for the European market.
On this route, the train stops at the most important railway stations in Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Bratislava.
Loading freight at the Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Park. Photo: Hungary Today
Today, 2012 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of products arrive in Hungary and the trains return to Wuhan with 382 goods. The trains take 25 days to reach Europe, and after unloading the Chinese freight and loading the European ones, they return to central China in the same time. It takes an average of 3 hours to fill a railway container.
Tokaj wines are particularly popular among young people in China, who like to drink this Hungarian specialty as a party drink.
There is a Chinese saying that if the atmosphere at a banquet is not good, it is not the company but the wine that is to blame. The fact that Tokaj wines are not to blame for anything in China and are very well received is proven by the fact that the company executives of the Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Company will be visiting Budapest later this month to discuss expanding cooperation with their Hungarian partners.
Featured image: Hungary Today