Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment Sonexay Siphandone (1st L) presents two first-class medals to Ju Guojiang (C), executive director of China Railway International Co. Ltd. and chairman of the Laos-China Railway Co. Ltd. during a ceremony in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 1, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The government of Laos awarded the China-Laos Railway developers the accolades in recognition of their noticeable contributions to the successful implementation of the China-Laos Railway project as well as to the strengthening of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The Lao government on Wednesday awarded the First-class Development Medal to the China State Railway Group and the First-class Labor Medal to the Laos-China Railway Co. Ltd. (LCRC), a joint venture based in Laos, for building the cross-border railway.

The government of Laos has awarded the China-Laos Railway developers the accolades in recognition of their noticeable contributions to the successful implementation of the China-Laos Railway project as well as to the strengthening of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

At the award ceremony, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment Sonexay Siphandone expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese side for its long-standing support for Laos' socio-economic development and its efforts to help Laos realize the historic transformation from a land-locked country to a land-linked hub.

Aerial photo taken on July 29, 2020 shows the China-Laos railway over the villages and fields in northern Laos. (Photo by Pan Longzhu/Xinhua)

Speaking highly of the China State Railway group and the LCRC for their contributions to the railway's construction, Sonexay presented the two first-class medals to Ju Guojiang, executive director of China Railway International Co. Ltd. and chairman of LCRC.

The China-Laos Railway, with a length of 1,035 km, connects Kunming of southwestern China's Yunnan Province and Lao capital Vientiane. The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and it is scheduled to be operational in December 2021.