The China-Laos Railway has facilitated over 346,000 cross-border passenger trips and transported approximately 11 million metric tons of goods, transforming Laos into a land-linked hub. As a flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project, the 1,035-km-long railway connects Kunming in China’s Yunnan province to Vientiane, the Laotian capital. The railway has significantly boosted trade, reducing transport costs by up to 10 per cent for cold-chain goods like vegetables and improving the incomes of Laotian farmers by increasing the export value of crops such as cassava and rice.
Passenger services, launched in April 2023, have also fueled tourism, linking key destinations in China and Laos. Additionally, the railway has streamlined Thailand’s exports, cutting travel time to China from up to seven days by sea to just two by rail.