Poland closed its border in response to joint military exercises initiated by Belarus and Russia on September 12, blocking an important land route for Chinese exports to Europe. Over three hundred China-Europe freight trains were stranded within Belarus.
According to reports from Juhang News, on September 15, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a three-hour discussion with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in an attempt to reopen the border, a request that was rejected by Poland. Beijing called on relevant countries to take measures to restore normal operation of the China-Europe freight train routes.
Prior to the meeting with Wang Yi, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had stated that during the meeting, he would request China to pressurize Russia to stop the “mixed actions” at the eastern border of Poland. He insisted that maintaining peace between the two neighboring countries is essential for completely reopening the border.
Last Friday (12th), Belarus and Russia began their joint military exercise “Zapad-2025.” Polish Prime Minister Tusk mentioned that a key objective of this exercise is the Suwalki Corridor, which Russia would attempt to take over in the event of a full-scale war.
In response, Poland announced the closure of its border with Belarus. The incident of a Russian drone invading Polish airspace last week led to the decision to extend the border closure. Three cross-border railway freight routes, one car route, and one truck route were all blocked, completely disrupting the railway transport line from China to Europe.
As a result, over three hundred China-Europe freight trains are stranded within Belarus, causing potential delays in the delivery of goods to Europe via platforms like Temu and Shein, including time-sensitive products.
Marek Rozycki, the CEO of logistics company “Last Mile Experts,” stated in an interview with Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita, “If this route remains closed, some packages will be forced to shift to sea transport, with up to 30% potentially needing air transport, inevitably impacting costs and operational quality.”
Companies in the affected German rail freight sector mentioned in a statement, “The suspension of transport means disruptions for carriers who are already facing challenges. However, considering the national interests of Poland, we fully understand and support the government’s decision.”
The China-Europe freight train route is a crucial land transport link between China and Europe, passing through Russia and Belarus before reaching Poland and distributing goods to Western European countries. According to Juhang News, China’s trade volume with the European Union amounts to €250 billion annually. The blockade on the important land route for Chinese goods to Europe is severely impacting China’s trade.
Polish TV station TVP reported that according to transport market analysis agency Upply, in 2024, railway freight volume between China and the EU saw a growth of 10.6%. The value of railway freight transport also significantly increased to €250.7 billion, a massive 84.9% surge compared to 2023. Currently, railway transport accounts for 3.7% of the bilateral annual trade value between Europe and China, up from 2.1% last year.
The Polish government stated that the border closure is primarily based on defense and security considerations. After recent Russian drones violated Polish airspace, Poland and NATO allies have strengthened defense deployments in Eastern Europe.
Poland emphasized that even after the “Zapad-2025” joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, the border blockade with Belarus will not be lifted.
International observers pointed out that the United States is closely monitoring economic and military cooperation between China and Russia, but the obstacles faced by the China-Europe freight trains are mainly related to border policies of Poland and Belarus, with no direct evidence indicating intentions against China.
According to mainland media outlet “Jiangning Zhifu,” there are two alternative land transport routes from China to Europe: the Southern route via the “China-Giuliu Railway-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey-Europe” line and the “China-Kazakhstan-Caspian Sea-Azerbaijan-Zangzeur Corridor-Turkey-Europe” line. However, these two routes cannot be realized in the short term.
“Jiangning Zhifu” believes that since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, international trade has shown fragmented and regionalized characteristics, leading to continuous restructuring of supply chains. An article titled “Russia’s Hidden Inner World” indicates that the Kremlin has no interest in playing a central role between the EU and China, considering the Eurasian horizontal axis strategy (EU-Russia-China) has not enhanced Russia’s rise but rather marginalized it.