XIAMEN, Aug. 16 -- Xiamen City in east China's Fujian Province, located in the Fujian free trade zone (FTZ), opened a cargo train service to Poland on Sunday.

The direct cargo rail line, which goes through Kazakstan, Russia and Belarus before reaching Poland, is the first linking a Chinese FTZ to Central Asia and Europe, officials said.

The service will depart Xiamen once each week and arrive in Poland within 15 days.

The trains will cut transportation time by half.

Fujian is a key province in China's 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative.