NEW IMPETUS TO PROMOTE ASEAN LOGISTICS

The opening of a new transshipment station of the China-Laos railway will improve the efficiency of freight transport between China and ASEAN, according to Mr. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A new transshipment station of the China-Laos railway has just been put into operation at Vientiane South station on July 01. The completion of such station marks the connection among the railways of China, Laos and Thailand.

“In the future, cross-border freight trains of the China-Laos railway may reach some cities and the logistics distribution centers can be connected to the China-Europe railway. Meanwhile, shipments can reach to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to the south,” Mr. Zhao noted.

Opened to traffic since December last year, the China-Laos railway is a landmark high-quality project within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.

As of June 30, this cross-border railway has transported 4 million passengers and about 5 million tons of goods, including 0.8 million tons of cross-border goods.

More than 20 provinces and cities of China are involved in the operation. As a result, more than 100 kinds of goods such as fruits, photovoltaic and electronic products have been successfully transported to more than 10 countries and regions along the route.

Mr. Zhao noted: “The China-Laos railway has become a driving force in promoting the regional connection and economic cooperation. It is also a vivid example of China-ASEAN cooperation to promote high-quality BRI (one belt, one road)”.

Since the BRI was put into operation, China has formed more than 3,000 cooperation projects with 149 countries and regions, and 32 international organizations with an investment scale of about 1,000 billion USD. “We welcome more countries and regions to join the BRI cooperation and share the opportunities and benefits brought by enhanced connectivity,” said Mr. Trieu.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the Ministry would be willing to work with members of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) to implement the agreements reached at the Seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Myanmar. In addition, the parties will jointly build high-quality BRI cooperation projects.

The opening of the Laos-China high-speed railway on December 03, 2021 marked a leap forward in Laos’s development towards modernization. The railway line with a length of more than 1,000 km connects Kunming city, capital of Yunnan province, China with Vientiane capital of Laos. The section running on Laos is 414 km long, connecting Vientiane with the border town, Boten.

The economist Burin Adulwattana of Bangkok Bank believed that the Laos-China high-speed railway could be a “game changer” in the economic field, argued that the project would benefit both Beijing and Vientiane, although some feared it could increase Laos’ external debt.

The Laos-China high-speed railway was commenced in 2016, mainly constructed by China National Railway Corporation (CNRG) with 75 tunnels, 167 bridges and 10 stations. Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) running on the line can carry up to 720 persons and reach a speed of 160 km/h.

The project was completed after 5 years of construction. China holds a 70% of shares in the railway joint venture with Laos that operates the high-speed railway line.

Thanh Thu (according to Global Times)