China-Laos Railway: A catalyst for economic growth and cultural exchange

In the bustling city of Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, a train loaded with fresh Thai fruits – durian, rambutan and mangoes – smoothly rolls out, heading toward the Chinese market. This shipment represents more than just the transportation of goods, it's a testament to the growing significance of the China-Laos Railway.

Connecting Kunming with the Lao capital Vientiane, the 1,035-kilometer China-Laos Railway has turned Laos into a land-linked hub in the Indochina Peninsula since its launch on December 3, 2021, reshaping the region's economic landscape and promoting greater regional connectivity.

As of December 2, 2024, the railway had handled over 43 million passenger trips and transported 48.3 million tonnes of cargo, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

Known as a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the China-Laos Railway has also boosted people-to-people exchanges between the countries and the improved travel infrastructure has opened up new opportunities for work, study and leisure.

Data from the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd showed that by the end of 2026, the proportion of Lao employees in the Vientiane Transportation Management Center of the China-Laos Railway is expected to reach 80 percent. The data also showed that the railway has created more than 100,000 job opportunities for Laos.

A symbol of regional cooperation and growth

By linking China with Laos, Thailand and other ASEAN countries, the railway has become a bridge for regional trade, significantly boosting cross-border commerce.

For example, the transportation of fresh Thai fruits, a major export, has become faster and cheaper. Previously, these products would take several days to arrive in China by road; now, thanks to the railway, the journey is cut by a full day, and costs are reduced by over 20 percent, according to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd.

In the past three years, the total number of China-Laos railway international cargo journeys has exceeded 15,000, transporting more than 10.6 million tonnes of cross-border cargo with a value of more than 44 billion yuan ($6 billion), according to the latest customs data.

The data also showed that the highest monthly cross-border freight volume exceeded 510,000 tonnes, an increase of 12.6 times compared with the first month of operation in 2021.

In the first 11 months of this year, the import and export value of the China-Laos railway was 16.81 billion yuan, exceeding the value of the whole of last year.

A gateway for international visitors

The China-Laos Railway is not only boosting trade but also opening up new opportunities for travelers. Since November, China has expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to include ordinary passport holders from nine more countries, bringing the total number of eligible countries to 38 after a year of the policy's trial run.

This has led to a significant increase in tourism, with foreign visitors now using the railway to travel to China. Many are attracted by the convenience and comfort of the train, along with the added benefit of exploring multiple countries in a single journey. This ease of travel, combined with the extended visa-free stay, has made the China-Laos Railway a popular option for international tourists.

In the first three quarters of this year, the China-Laos railway sent 177,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips, an increase of 175.6 percent, according to data from customs authorities in Kunming City. The data also showed that the number of passenger source countries and regions has reached 101.