BEIJING: With China taking new policy measures to tackle the dual challenges of balancing Covid-19 mitigation with supporting economic growth in the short term, centrally administrated state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been teaming up with foreign partners to sustain trade flows and ensure the smooth operation of global supply chains.

       Central SOEs involved in energy, transportation equipment, infrastructure development and manufacturing have relied on China’s advantage of having the world’s most complete industrial system with the most diversified sectors to boost the nation’s foreign trade and deliver products on time to foreign customers.

       CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Beijing-based China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, announced last Wednesday that it will export 62 passenger carriages to Brazil, marking the first time for the company to ship trains of this kind to the South American nation.

       Ordered by its client – mining giantVale SAa Brazilian – the trains, including business class, economy class, dining and power generation cars, will be shipped to Brazil in 2024, said Ma Jin, a project manager at Shandong province-based CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

       “The design, manufacture, testing, operation and maintenance of these rail vehicles will meet relevant standards in Brazil, the United States and Europe,” he said.

       “They will be operated on the Vitoria-Minas Railroad and Carajas Railroad operated by Vale. They are the only two trunk railways with passenger services in Brazil.”

       Ma said it will significantly increase passenger capacity on Brazil’s mainline railways after putting them into operation. — China Daily/ANN