The China-Laos Railway is going to celebrate its first anniversary. The 1,035-km electrified railway, connecting Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is the first overseas railway that applies China's standards, jointly constructed and operated by China and Laos, and straightly links China's railway network.

At present, the China-Laos Railway is showing more and more its value and function as the “golden channel”. As of Nov. 7, the total quantity of freight transported by the China-Laos Railway had exceeded 10 million tonnes, according to China Railway's Kunming bureau. Among the total, the cross-border cargo transportation volume topped 1.8 million tonnes, with its value hitting 12 billion yuan.

Benefited from the efforts in accelerating the convergence of rules and mechanisms between China and Laos, the daily perfection of the port functions and the constant convenience in customs clearance, the transportation value via the China-Laos Railway is growing month by month, and the numbers of cross-border freight trains are increasing, the cargo categories have expanded to more than 1,200, ranging from chemical fertilizers and general merchandise at the initial stage to electronic, photovoltaic products, and cold-chain fruits. The freight transportation has covered countries and regions including Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and Singapore. Meanwhile, the China-Laos Railway also helps Kunming to show its regional advantages, making people, logistics and funds constantly gather in Kunming.

The China-Laos Railway, a golden channel set up between China and ASEAN, can greatly reduce transportation costs and time costs, and drive the growth of socio-economic development along the railway. Kunming is constantly making great efforts in seizing the opportunity of the opening of the China-Laos Railway and opening up a new trade zone with the shortest time and the maximum efficiency.

As for now, Kunming has introduced several action plans to actively set up a new opening-up highland with a wider range, a wider field and a higher level. Besides, to accelerate the construction of the Big Channel and the Big Logistics, Kunming has been granted trusteeship over Mohan Town, which makes Kunming the first capital city to own the borderline across the nation.

For the future, Kunming is to strive for the construction of the regional international comprehensive hub, speeds up the establishment of economic and trade center, science and technology innovation center, financial service center, cultural exchange center that based in the southwest, facing the whole nation and influencing the South Asia and Southeast Asia. All these efforts need to put the China-Laos Railway into great use, and stride forward in the construction of the regional international central city.

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(Editors: Lexi, Christine)