How-to China: China-Laos Railway benefits Laos and Laotians

Editor's Note: The eyes of the world are turning to China. In this ongoing series How-to China, we tell stories about how Chinese approaches promote understanding, solve problems and improve the lives of people around the globe.

The Lao economy is projected to grow by 4.2 percent in 2022, driven by exports and opportunities and benefits arising from the China-Laos Railway, according to a latest report.

The rail link, which became operational on Dec 3, will enable Lao products, notably agricultural goods, to have better access to the Chinese market, said the report from the Lao National Economic Research Institute.

As of Wednesday, the total value of the imported and exported goods along the China-Laos Railway reached 107 million yuan ($16.8 million), according to data from the Kunming Customs.

As of Thursday, the number of passenger trips on the Chinese section of the line hit more than 300,000, China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co said.

The railway put Laos in the global spotlight, providing much-needed rail connectivity and using the country's landlocked location to develop strong overland transport links, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Manila Sombandith, consul-general of Lao People's Democratic Republic in Kunming, Yunnan province, shares her views on the newly opened China-Laos Railway.

Following are excerpts from the interview: