Milestone for country

Adopting Chinese technical standards, the China-Laos Railway is China's first international railway project primarily funded and built by Chinese companies and connected to China's railway network.

Since June 2020, the Laos-China Railway Co has recruited and trained Lao trainees in nine groups. More than 800 Lao employees, or over 90 percent of the trainees, have been assigned specific positions, and the proportion of Lao employees in the company is close to 60 percent, according to the LCRC.

The China-Laos Railway has opened "a new phase of development" for Laos to transform itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked one, said Saleumsak Sayamoungkhoun, director general of the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport's Permanent Secretary Office. "It is a milestone for Laos," said Saleumsak.

Noting the railway has maintained a positive trend of increasing volume and efficiency, as well as thriving passenger and freight businesses, Liu Hong, general manager of the LCRC, said the China-Laos Railway has become "a road of development, happiness, and friendship for the Lao and Chinese people".

In addition, Liu said the company has been working to build an international logistics golden corridor, ensure better travel for people and operational safety, promote in-depth and practical business development along the railway route, and help the people of China and Laos to connect with each other.

In 2023, the Laos section of the China-Laos Railway carried 4.089 million metric tons of cargo, a year-on-year increase of 83.1 percent, with a daily average of 11,204 tons.

During the same period, the Laos section carried 2.594 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 85.8 percent, and a daily average of 7,106 passengers.

As part of the pan-Asia railway network running from Kunming to Singapore, the China-Laos Railway connects Southeast Asia with China, Northeast Asia, Central Asia, and even Europe, transforming Laos into a land transportation hub in Southeast Asia.

"With the trial operation of the Laos-Thailand Railway between Bangkok and Vientiane on July 13 and 14, and the future connection of the China-Laos-Thailand Railway with the Malaysian Railway, economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and China will be further promoted, driving the rapid economic development of regional countries," said Liu.

In the latest step toward improved regional logistics and rail connectivity, the ASEAN Express, a new international freight train service, was launched in June by Malaysia to connect with Thailand, Laos and China.

Near the Vientiane South Station in Laos, the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone, which is being jointly built by Laos and China, had garnered investments of $3 billion as of April, attracting 145 companies from nine countries including China, Thailand, and Japan. Among them, 72 companies are already operational.

In 2021, the LCRC moved its headquarters into the development zone.

With an area of 11.5 square kilometers, the development zone currently employs 7,000 people, and the number is expected to exceed 15,000 by the end of 2024. Total annual output will exceed $2 billion after it has reached full operating capacity.