1st China-Laos Railway freight train leaves Vientiane for China

Source: Xinhua| 2021-12-03 21:00:24|Editor: huaxia

The Lane Xang EMU train of the China-Laos Railway departs from Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. The China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

by Zhang Jianhua

VIENTIANE, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The first cargo train of the China-Laos Railway bound for China left here on Friday afternoon soon after the railway was officially inaugurated.

POTASH & RUBBER

Among the cargo loaded on the train are potash products manufactured by a China-Lao joint venture named Sino-Agri International Potash Company.

"We are honored to ship our products through the first cargo train bound for China. The operation of the railway will help boost the potassium production in Laos and its exportation," the company's general manager Tong Yongheng told Xinhua on Friday.

The 1,035-kilometer electrified passenger and cargo railway, connecting Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane, fully adopts Chinese technical standards and consists of two sections.

Construction of the section in Laos from the border town of Boten to Vientiane started in December 2016, and construction of the section in China from city of Yuxi to the border town of Mohan started in December 2015.

"The operation of the Laos-China Railway is what the Lao people have expected for decades and a demonstration of the relationship between the two countries," Xay Manithong, a local lab technician of the company told Xinhua.

As a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country into a land-linked hub, the railway is of great significance to bilateral economic, social and cultural exchanges as well as the regional connectivity.

"With the operation of the railway, our company is also embracing better development opportunities, and our staff and local people's lives will also turn better," said 39-year-old Xay.

With a maximum operating speed of 160 km per hour, the running time from Kunming to Vientiane takes about 10 hours, including customs clearance time.

Li Mufan works as the deputy general manager of Yunnan Rubber Investment Company under China's Yunnan State Farms Group. His company has been engaged in replacement plantation in Laos since 2005 and the train bound for China is also carrying the company's rubber products made in Laos.

"We have invested over 150 million U.S. dollars in Laos, building 21 rubber plantations and three rubber processing factories. The operation of the railway will greatly improve the two peoples' exchanges and goods transportation so as to benefit the bilateral trade," said Li.

JOBS & LIVELIHOOD

The historic first train from Laos to China carries goods and hope of the Lao people.

"Personally, I hope my family will have the chance to ride on the railway to visit China and enjoy the scenery along the way," said Xay.

Xay's colleague Chammala Shengsouly was born in Laos' remote province of Phongsaly. She now lives in Vientiane.

"My company's investment increases the local employment, and for me, the better income helps me buy a house in Vientiane, like many other colleagues," said the 41-year-old woman.

She looks forward to seeing more Lao products exported to China via the railway, which she believes will enhance Laos' reputation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the world.

For Vou Chanthaxay, 31, a local worker of Yunnan Rubber Investment Company, the railway has already brought considerable changes to himself and his hometown.

"Years ago, the people could barely make a living by growing upland rice, and there were even people growing poppy in some remote villages. Yunnan Rubber Investment Company came to build nice plantations here, with full access of tap water, electricity and road."

Now, Vou has earned a monthly income of 2.5 million kip (200 U.S. dollars) to 5 million kip (over 400 U.S. dollars) by working for the rubber company.

"On this special day, I made a wish that I can travel by this railway to visit China with my family someday," said Vou.

The China-Laos railway will be a game changer for the overall development of Laos.

Lei Chao, a project executive manager of the China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) told Xinhua that he was excited over the operation of the railway, believing that the railway will bring more tourists to Lao tourist sites like Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vangvieng and Oudomxay, reviving the tourism sector in the country.

The CREC-2 undertook the railing work of the China-Laos Railway's Lao section. Lei said, "The China-Laos Railway will boost the Lao exports to China and the world including agricultural products and handicrafts.

"The China-Laos Railway will bring the two countries and the two peoples closer," he added.

CONNECTIVITY & OPPORTUNITIES

When interviewed by Xinhua recently, Valy Vetsaphong, vice president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and advisor to the Lao prime minister, said that the China-Laos railway will bring new opportunities to Laos' economy.

The railway "will convert Laos from being geographically disadvantaged, by taking advantage of its location, to a regional land-linked hub," said Valy, adding that the railway will be an important piece of infrastructure that increases the nation's transportation connectivity with other parts of the region.

Many business operators will switch to exporting products by using the new railway, which is expected to cut the cost of transport by 30 to 40 percent compared to traveling by road, he added.

The China-Laos railway will lay a new foundation for the introduction of foreign investment, and Laos will take the advantage to participate in the regional and global industrial chain.

"The railway will result in the growth of many industries like tourism, trade and investment, especially in the processing industry, and it's going to help a lot for Laos' post-pandemic recovery," Valy said.

"The Lao people are proud and excited by the railway," Daovone Phachanthavong, vice executive president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Xinhua. "It is a symbol of friendship that will bring happiness and prosperity to both countries."

Chinese businessmen in Laos also have high hopes for the railway, such as Xu Guowu, vice president of Lao Chinese Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Xuanye, a Chinese company that helped Laos export the first shipment of rice to China in 2015.

"The opening of the China-Laos Railway will certainly provide us with more opportunities and platforms for high-quality development," he said.

"At present, based on the China-Laos Railway's opening, we are to build a modern agricultural industrial park in Vientiane, Laos, which will supply the railway with new dynamics and broader prospects in the agricultural sector," said Xu. Enditem

The Lane Xang EMU train of the China-Laos Railway departs from Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. The China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The Lane Xang EMU train of the China-Laos Railway departs from Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. The China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The Lane Xang EMU train of the China-Laos Railway departs from Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. The China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The Lane Xang EMU train of the China-Laos Railway departs from Vientiane Railway Station in Vientiane, Laos, Dec. 3, 2021. The China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

 

KEY WORDS: Laos,China,Railway,  ROUNDUP
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