FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR RAIL MARVEL

An engineering triumph, China-Laos link poised to deepen bonds between nations

Editor's Note: The China-Laos Railway, due to open this week, is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. It will bring new opportunities and provide huge momentum in strengthening Laos' economy. The train route will connect the Chinese city of Kunming to the Lao capital Vientiane, with grand plans for high-speed rail to ultimately snake down through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore.

A cross-border tunnel is at the heart of an engineering marvel that is bringing two neighbors even closer together. Aptly named the Friendship Tunnel, it is a key piece of infrastructure in the China-Laos Railway opening this week.

The tunnel stretches for 9.59 kilometers, with 7.17 km on the Chinese side in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, and 2.42 km on the Lao side, according to the China Railway No 2 Engineering Group, the project contractor.