QINGDAO -- Qingdao's enterprises have presented great resilience and vitality in boosting the country's foreign trade, and made key contributions to the country's foreign business in the first quarter.

Earlier this year, a core production enterprise under the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Corporation based in the city, Qingdao Sifang, signed a supply contract with Etihad Railway in the United Arab Emirates, which develops and operates UAE's national railway network, agreeing to provide high-speed bullet train units and a 15-year warranty for all related products, which marks the first time that China's passenger diesel multiple units have been exported to the UAE, which will help the latter establish trunk railway passenger transport services for the first time.

Officials from the company's market department said that the deal will further boost their sales in the whole gulf area.
"We signed a contract with a railway company in the UAE, which includes the supply of 23 high-speed diesel multiple units and 15-year-long maintenance service. The total value of the goods is 1 billion U.S. dollars. This is the first time that China's passenger diesel multiple units have been exported to the UAE, and it has a demonstrative and radiating effect on our market development in the gulf region," said Zhang Meng, deputy director of the Marketing Department of CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

The group also innovated its production system and made customized export trains to explore new markets overseas based on their different climatic conditions such as dusty weathers and extremely low temperature.

Meanwhile, in order to support the development of rail transit equipment manufacturing industry and speed up the pace of enterprises to go global, local customs also started the bonded supervision on the processing of large-size equipment such as train units, which is also a boost for production companies' confidence in preparing for their long-term international deals.

"In the first quarter of this year, ports under Qingdao Dagang Customs exported rail vehicle products worth nearly 600 million yuan (about 87 million U.S. dollars), and the products were exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the world," said Wang Yawen, chief of Second Inspection Section of Qingdao Dagang Customs.