David H:
How bizarre!
I don’t they mean it’s the first ever trip of its kind. Rather, they mean it’s the first conducted under the TIR convention. Remember that not all countries signed up to TIR and therefore many long-haul trips were made under alternative systems or no systems at all. Also, the trip is from China to Europe - rather than the other way round - so it may well be the first proper road transport trip of its kind regardless of TIR 
. Robert