China-Laos Railway port designated international sanitary crossing

The Mohan railway port, a key hub of the China-Laos Railway in southwest China's Yunnan Province, was designated as the world's first international sanitary ground crossing by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The designation followed the on-site assessment by WHO experts from December 1 to 3, highlighting its advanced capacity to address international public health emergencies.

International sanitary ports are crossings that meet the WHO's guidelines laid out in the International Health Regulations, designed to protect the health of travelers and maintain preparedness in case of a disease outbreak.

The 1,035-kilometer China-Laos Railway, connecting China's southwestern city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane, started operation on December 3, 2021.

It had handled over 43 million passenger trips and transported 48.3 million tonnes of cargo as of Monday, and the range of goods transported via this railway has expanded from an initial 500 varieties to more than 3,000 currently.