China-Laos Railway sees growth in trade and travel

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.