Despite having no coastline or border crossing, Henan province, supported by favorable policies in the China (Henan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, is expanding its role as a modern logistics hub with global reach by leveraging its air cargo hub and China-Europe freight train services. Through the coordinated development of the “Air Silk Road” that connects economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the overland rail network, Henan is accelerating the flow of goods between China’s inland provinces and overseas markets, said Zhang Jianping, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. Air cargo routes centered on Zhengzhou, Henan’s capital city, have expanded rapidly since China began supporting the development of a bidirectional “Air Silk Road” between Zhengzhou and Luxembourg in 2017, linking 18 destinations in Europe, 23 in Asia and nine in the Americas as of the end of 2025. Total cargo and mail throughput at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport reached 1.03 million metric tons in 2025, up 25.25% year-on-year, placing it among the world’s million-ton cargo hubs. Within the total, international cargo volumes amounted to 661,500 tons, a surge of 40.25% on a yearly basis.
In 2025, China-Europe freight train services from Zhengzhou operated 3,417 trips, up 36.7% year-on-year. The cargo mix has expanded from a single category to 53 major categories, including automobiles and parts, furniture, chemical products and machinery, with the “new trio” of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products now also being shipped to foreign markets via the service. Liu Jiannan, Vice Chairman of the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said that after years of development, Zhengzhou has moved beyond its traditional role as a logistics hub to become an industrial hub, attracting high-end manufacturing and supply chain operations. Henan offers a vivid example of how China’s inland provinces are using air cargo and multimodal logistics to drive economic transformation.
This is also being felt at the company level. Huang Huali, President of Henan Shunshui International Trade Co, a Zhengzhou-based foreign trade firm, said that since the launch of a cargo route linking Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Zhengzhou in 2024, her company has significantly expanded imports of fresh produce from Southeast Asia. “Around seven to eight tons of fresh durians now arrive in Zhengzhou from Malaysia every day. Thanks to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport’s ‘air-to-air transfer’ service model, they can be quickly shipped to cities across China,” said Huang.
Wan Zhe, Professor specializing in regional economic development at Beijing Normal University, said that Zhengzhou’s advantages as an international logistics hub have not only driven the upgrading of traditional industries, but also provided fertile ground for the growth of emerging sectors. Tian Haitao, Director of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone’s Administrative Committee, said that once just an inland city, Zhengzhou is now emerging as a key gateway for the transfer of global high-tech industries and advancing the development of modern logistics. For instance, the zone has become one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturing bases, with annual output exceeding 86 million units and attracting more than 200 supporting enterprises.
In the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector, Chinese automaker BYD’s Zhengzhou production base produced more than one million vehicles between 2023 and 2025. The project has attracted more than 100 auto parts manufacturers from both China and abroad, ranging from engine modules to small metal stamping components, to set up operations in the zone. Today, the local sourcing rate for BYD within the province has exceeded 50%, effectively driving the coordinated development of related industries across Henan. “The EVs can be shipped from Zhengzhou via China-Europe freight train services, reaching destinations across Europe in about 15 days. The inland hub is fast becoming a key gateway for Henan-made vehicles to enter foreign markets,” Tian added.
Highlighting that China-Europe freight train services are reshaping the geography of trade by turning inland regions into outward-facing gateways, Yang Jie, Deputy Director of Zhengzhou Customs, said they provide landlocked companies with reliable access to global markets while supporting an industrial network across Eurasia, spanning advanced manufacturing, modern agriculture and high-end equipment. “Regional logistics hubs are no longer just transit points for goods. They are becoming strategic nodes in a globally integrated system that combines intelligent supply chains, greener transport solutions and digital innovation,” said Chen Jianwei, Researcher at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Alongside air and rail cargo services, international road transport operations have notably expanded in both scale and quality in Henan, with 22 routes linking Zhengzhou to nine countries, including Russia and Uzbekistan, in 2025, the China Daily reports.
