On the 4th, Envir Erskurt, the deputy minister of Türkiye's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, said that the time for China Europe regular train to leave China and enter Türkiye via the "middle corridor" had been shortened to 15 days. On the same day, at a departure ceremony held in Istanbul, Türkiye, two China Europe trains from China to Türkiye set out from Istanbul to Lodz, Poland and Budapest, Hungary. Uskurt said that one of the trains was from Chengdu, carrying 508 tons of goods, from Alataw Pass in Xinjiang to Kars, the eastern border city of Türkiye, via the "middle corridor", and the time was shortened to 15 days. It is understood that due to multiple factors such as customs clearance efficiency and the weather in the Caspian Sea, China EU trains often take more than 20 days to leave China and enter Türkiye via the "middle corridor". In recent years, with the joint efforts of all parties, the freight efficiency of the "middle corridor" has gradually improved. Uskurt told Xinhua News Agency that the time for the China Europe train to arrive in Türkiye via the "middle corridor" was shortened, which was an important step forward for China, Türkiye and Europe. He said that the future goal is to shorten the travel time from Alashankou to Kars to 10 days. The "Middle Corridor", also known as the Trans Caspian Sea International Transport Corridor, is a multimodal transport route that starts from China, passes through Kazakhstan, Caspian Sea waters, Azerbaijan, Georgia and extends to Türkiye and European countries. In 2015, China and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on docking the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the "Middle Corridor" plan. (New Society)