The Mohan Railway Station of the China-Laos Railway in Southwest China's Yunnan province. [Photo by Na Jianbo/for chinadaily.com.cn]
Since its launch in December 2021, the 1,035-kilometer China-Laos Railway has carried over 62.5 million passengers and 72.5 million metric tons of cargo, transforming travel and trade between the two nations while becoming a tangible engine for regional economic integration, according to China State Railway Group. The railway runs from Kunming in China's Yunnan province to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
Wang Chen, head of Yunnan Maimiao Automobile Service, said his company has benefited from the safety, efficiency, and convenience provided by the China-Laos Railway. "This year, the number of cars exported via the railway from my company is expected to be about five times that of last year," he added.
Zhang Bolong, a Chinese tour guide who often leads groups to Laos, said that he has traveled back and forth on the railway over a hundred times. According to him, many Chinese tourists opt to visit Laos primarily for the experience of the journey on the railway.
The railway is also appealing to Laotians. Bouangurn Chanthavong, a teacher at Lao Railway Technology Vocational and Technical College, takes frequent trips from Vientiane, where she lives, to her hometown, Luang Prabang.
Children enjoy the ride on the China-Laos Railway. [Photo by Yang Yongquan/for chinadaily.com.cn]
"Driving from Vientiane to Luang Prabang usually takes 8 to 10 hours, and it's easy to get carsick due to the poor road conditions and mountainous terrain in northern Laos," she said. "By train, it only takes 2 to 3 hours to get home, and it's more comfortable and safer."
Somphone Sichaleune, Lao Ambassador to China, said that the Laos-China Railway is the most representative flagship project of win-win cooperation between the two nations.
Fang Hong, Chinese ambassador to Laos, said that the railway has indirectly created over 100,000 jobs in Laos. The China-Laos Railway brings the people of the two countries closer with its tangible convenience and vitality, she added.
The railway has brought more economic and trade opportunities to Laos, facilitated easier movement of people, and promoted business exchanges and mutual understanding among the people of the two countries, said Su Qingyi, director of the department of international trade at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
