China-Laos Railway Cross-Border Cargo Trade Surpasses 80 Billion Yuan

This article is reprinted from: People’s Daily Overseas Edition

Kunming, April 7 (reporter Ye Chenzeng). Data from Mengla Customs under Kunming Customs shows that since the China–Laos Railway began operations, as of April 7, the value of imports and exports has exceeded 80 billion yuan. The categories of imported and exported goods have expanded from more than 500 in the initial period of operation to more than 3,800, serving over 6,000 enterprises nationwide and extending to 19 countries and regions including Laos and Thailand. The “Golden Passage” continues to release vitality, injecting momentum into high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” and into efforts to promote regional connectivity and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Kunming Customs has rolled out 16 specific measures to optimize the port business environment and promote facilitation of cross-border trade. It has promoted the implementation of initiatives such as “Unblock the Silk Road” to advance high-level opening-up, along with eight actions to drive high-quality development of Yunnan’s foreign trade. It has implemented regulatory reform models such as “railway fast clearance” and “release first, inspect later,” to fully ensure the efficient operation of the “Lancang–Mekong Express” and the international freight train services “China–Laos Railway + China-Europe freight trains.”

In this year’s first quarter, the China–Laos Railway’s import and export cargo value reached 6.81 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 62.7%, setting a new high for the same period in previous years. On the import side, imports of fresh and dried fruits by the China–Laos Railway were valued at 500 million yuan, doubling year on year. Imports of bulk commodities such as grain, metal ores, and their mineral sands totaled 1.13 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 34.6%.

On the export side, exports of the “three new” products via the China–Laos Railway reached 1.3 billion yuan, a surge of 10.4 times year on year. Among them, exports of photovoltaic products were 1.19 billion yuan, up 43.2 times year on year, and the “new” share in foreign trade has continued to rise. The China–Laos Railway is becoming an efficient two-way trade corridor for “Made in China heading south and Southeast Asian specialties heading north.”