Jinan opens the first Europe-Asia freight train to Germany on April 10. [Photo/jinan.e23.cn]

The foreign trade volume in Jinan, Shandong province hit 41.94 billion yuan ($5.87 billion) in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 30.4 percent, accounting for 6.8 percent of the total value in Shandong province.

Meanwhile, imports and exports in April totaled 13.85 billion yuan, up 55.5 percent in spite of the global spread of the novel coronavirus.

The rapid growth in foreign trade in Jinan during this period was partly thanks to the local government's efforts to improve the business environment and expand international logistics channels.

On April 10, Jinan opened its first freight train to Hamburg, Germany. The city currently has a total of six freight routes to 13 countries in Asia and Europe.

As of May 18, Jinan's Eurasian freight train had made 171 trips in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 137.5 percent.

Additionally, the city's number of international flights has been on the rise. The Jinan-Moscow cargo airline opened on April 23, which was converted from a passenger line. The Jinan-Israel-Italy line, also a converted passenger flight, opened on May 10 and operates 14 flights a week.