Railway project brings sound development to Laos

The China-Laos Railway has facilitated over 346,000 cross-border passenger trips and handled roughly 11 million metric tons of cross-border goods over the past three years, boosting socioeconomic development along the route in both countries.

The 1,035-kilometer railway, which began operations on Dec 3, 2021, is a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. It connects Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province, with the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

In three years, the railway has turned Laos, a land-locked country, into a land-linked hub, helping the country effectively overcome its development barriers and improving the livelihood of the Laotian people.

Statistics from Kunming Customs showed that till the end of November, 10.6 million tons of goods had been handled via the railway, with the total value exceeding 44 billion yuan ($6.05 billion).

Through the cross-border cargo transportation service, over 2,900 types of goods including electronics, photovoltaics, telecommunication equipment and automobiles are transported between China and 12 BRI countries, including Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, said officials at the Mohan checkpoint on the Chinese side of the border with Laos.

Zhang Xuxu, general manager of Yunnan-based Tonghai Wanhe Import and Export, who has been engaged in exporting and importing vegetables for 10 years, said his company's foreign trade covers over 20 types of vegetables, and trade is mainly with Thailand and Malaysia.

"Cold chain transport via the China-Laos Railway to Thailand saves one day compared with road transport and reduces costs by 10 percent," Zhang said, adding that he has noticed an increase in the number of people involved in the vegetable import and export business since the railway began operations.

Hu Shengli, safety technology director of Laos Tongda International Logistics, said the railway has not only enhanced transport convenience, but has also spurred economic development and job opportunities in Laos, significantly improving the lives of the Laotian people.

"Thanks to the China-Laos Railway, the export prices of Laotian agricultural products such as cassava, rice and corn have surged in recent years due to growing demand, which has boosted the local people's incomes," he said.

The average price of durian has dropped 20 to 50 percent, since the railway has cut the transportation time and cost from Thailand, the largest exporter of fresh durian in the world, to China, its biggest market.

"Thailand and the China-Laos railways have enabled the direct transfer of full-container loads, opening up a new channel for Thai durian exports. Previously, it took seven days by sea and five days by road from Thailand to Kunming. Now, using the railway, it only takes two days," said Pan Jiaoling, operations director of Thailand Shibida International Logistics.

Moreover, the railway's cross-border passenger service, which started on April 13 last year, has sparked a tourism boom as it connects destinations such as Kunming and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan with Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos.

As of Monday, passengers from 108 countries and regions had used the service, according to data from the Mohan checkpoint.

Japanese tourist Tanaka Kaiya entered China via the cross-border passenger service on Sunday. He was also the first international tourist to enter China through the China-Laos Railway after China expanded its 144-hour visa-free transit policy to nine more countries, including Japan, on Saturday.

"This policy is fantastic. It has made my travel much more convenient and will definitely attract more people to China," he said.

Contact the writers at pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn