Freight traffic between Liège and China paralysed by border closure
Freight train connections between Liège Airport and China have been brought to a complete halt following the closure of the Polish–Belarusian border RTBF reported on Tuesday afternoon. The measure, introduced amid heightened tensions with Russia, has paralysed traffic for the past ten days, cutting off a major logistics route between Europe and Asia.
"All trains from China are currently blocked at the border," confirms Olivier Hia, managing director of Liège Logistics Intermodal, speaking from China. "These trains go to all of Europe, whether it's Belgium or Germany, for example. We received an average of two to three trains per week from China, with containers loaded with goods, mainly textiles and hi-fi. In terms of exports from Belgium to China, it's mainly machinery and car parts. Obviously, this traffic blockage represents a serious loss of revenue for our company," he adds.
Liège Logistics Intermodal is now seeking an alternative route through Turkey, though Hia cautions it could take time before it becomes operational.
Belt and Road Initiative
The disruption highlights the vulnerability of the rail links established under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The first cargo train from Daqing in Heilongjiang province to Zeebrugge was launched in 2017, covering more than 10,000 kilometres across Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany in just 18 days. A year later, the Zhengzhou–Liège connection was added, reducing travel time to around 12 days, with weekly services that soon expanded.
In 2019, a new line from Yiwu to Liège cut delivery times by one to two days, with trains arriving twice weekly. Upon reaching Liège, consignments were distributed across Europe through Alibaba’s logistics hub, Cainiao Network, and other regional partners.
Chinese train at DP World Liège container terminals © PHOTO BELPRESS
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