A Guangzhou-Russia freight train carrying 41 containers arrives in Baiyun District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, May 19, 2020.

A Guangzhou-Russia freight train carrying 41 containers arrived Tuesday in Baiyun District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. It is the first freight train to come back since the opening of the China-Europe freight train in Guangzhou in August 2016.

It marks a two-way exchange in railway logistics between China's Guangzhou and countries along the Belt and Road route.

The 41 containers hold 900 tons of European quality kraft paper worth $706,000 purchased by COSCO Shipping Logistics.

The freight train set off from Siegza Station in eastern Russia and entered China via Manzhouli, the largest land port on the China-Russia border, and arrived in Guangzhou, spanning 11,700 kilometers.

The opening of the return route for China-Europe freight trains will greatly shorten the transit time for goods imported from both sides and reduce logistics costs.

From January to April in 2020, a total of 17 China-Europe freight trains were launched, a 13.3 percent growth year on year.