Iranian officials reported Monday that the first train to connect China and Iran arrived in Tehran loaded with an assortment of Chinese goods, marking the revival of the "Silk Road," an ancient network of trade routes running through Asia that was named for China's silk trade.
The train, also known as the Silk Road train, passed through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Iran, leaving Yiwu city in east China's Zhejiang Province on Jan. 28, Xinhua reported.
Officials lauded the unprecedented 14-day journey, noting that it was essentially a month shorter than the sea voyage from Shanghai to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
"The arrival of this train in less than 14 days is unprecedented," said Mohsen Pourseyed Aqayi, the head of the Iranian railway company.
"The revival of the Silk Road is crucial for the countries on its route," he said at a ceremony at Tehran's rail station, which was attended by the ambassadors of China and Turkmenistan, according to the AFP.
The railway will not end in Tehran in the future. Instead, it will expand beyond the Iranian capital "as we are planning to extend the railway to Europe in future" as a means to generate more income for Iran from passing trains, Aqayi said, adding that the train will leave every month and the frequency will be increased when necessary.
The Silk Road train is just another reminder of the strong relationship that China and Iran share. Despite U.S. pressure to do otherwise, China remained the prime buyer of Iranian oil after nuclear-related sanctions were tightened in 2012, according to ABC News.
More than a third of Iran's foreign trade is with China, according to Iranian media.
