SHANGHAI -- Shanghai has handled a total of 60 China-Europe freight trains this year as of Aug 24, exceeding last year's annual total, according to Shanghai Customs on Thursday.

By Aug 24, the freight trains had carried goods totaling approximately 2 billion yuan ($273 million), including chemical products, computer parts, clothing and auto parts, to stops along the Belt and Road in Central Asia, Europe and Russia.

Shanghai launched its first China-Europe freight train in September 2021.

In the first seven months of the year, Shanghai's imports from and exports to Kazakhstan totaled 2.17 billion yuan, a 33.7 percent year-on-year increase, and its foreign trade with Uzbekistan doubled year-on-year to 2.78 billion yuan, according to Shanghai Customs.