China-Laos Railway opens up new path for Laos’ development, prosperity

A freight prepare is to enter the China-Laos Railway’s Friendship Tunnel connecting Mohan in southwest China’s Yunnan Province and Boten in northern Laos, Nov. 24, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

Since its operation in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has introduced nice advantages to the Lao individuals and opened up a brand new path for Laos’ growth and prosperity.

As the one landlocked member of the Affiliation of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with mountains and plateaus that account for about 80 % of the land space, Laos has realized its dream of turning into a land-linked hub within the area because the streamlined China-standard bullet prepare for the railway runs within the north of the nation.

The launching of the railway marks a monumental and historic milestone within the growth of recent infrastructure for Laos, mentioned Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith on the launching ceremony on Dec. 3, 2021, calling it “a proud second and the dream of all ethnic teams of Laos.”

Marking the primary anniversary of the operation of the railway, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone hailed the standard service for passenger and freight transportation of the railway and its contribution to the socio-economic growth of Laos.

The operation of the railway has drastically enhanced Laos’ worldwide strategic place, thus turning Laos into an necessary hub for transportation within the area, he mentioned.

Extra commerce

Making the logistics transportation between China and Laos quick and cost-controllable, the railway has carried a complete of round 2 million tons of products, together with some 1.6 million tons of cross-border items as of early December.

Freight transport has proven a rising pattern with cargo classes increasing to greater than 1,200 classes. Items similar to day by day life commodities, fertilizers, electronics, photovoltaics, textiles and greens, amongst others, have been shipped from China to Laos, whereas iron and zinc ore, cassava flour, barley rice, charcoal, rubber, potash and fruits have been transported from Laos and neighboring nations to China.

Earlier this 12 months, central China’s Hunan Province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos collectively signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the 2 sides on the joint development of the “One Method, Two Parks” mission.

Underneath the mission, the 2 sides will use the China-Laos Railway as a channel to comprehensively strengthen the worldwide agricultural cooperation, and financial and commerce exchanges between Hunan Province and Laos via the joint development of a hyperlink between the trendy agricultural industrial park in Lao capital Vientiane and associated industrial parks in Hunan.

“We’re among the many beneficiaries of the railway,” Xu Guowu, chairman of Xuanye (Laos) Co., Ltd. from Hunan Province informed Xinhua. His firm, in 2015, helped Laos formally export its first batch of rice to China, marking the beginning of Lao rice exportation to a brand new market.

On Dec. 7, Xu noticed off a particular freight prepare carrying 25 cold-chain containers loaded along with his firm’s 500 tons of recent Lao bananas, which departed from the Vientiane station of the railway in Lao capital to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

That is the primary “banana prepare” that travels on to a particular Chinese language metropolis because the China-Laos Railway was put into operation a 12 months in the past. “The railway brings extra companies coming true,” Xu mentioned.

Extra conveniences

The China-Laos Railway has shortened the touring time between cities alongside the route, enabling individuals alongside the road to hunt schooling, go to households, or obtain medical consideration lots sooner and simpler. By December, the railway has carried a complete of about 1.3 million passengers.

For 32-year-old Kingkeo Duangphanam, who lives within the northern Luang Prabang province of Laos, going to the capital Vientiane within the far south of the nation as soon as meant an arduous trek of eight hours, generally 9, by bus.

Now it takes solely two hours, by rail. For the reason that opening of the railway, Kingkeo has traveled from her hometown to Vientiane six occasions. She informed Xinhua she loves the journey, because it saves time and is comfy, not as tiring as by bus.

The railway additionally helped revive tourism in Laos because the demand from passengers touring between Vientiane and the traditional capital of Luang Prabang is rising.

Du Zhigang, an operation director of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC), a three way partnership based mostly in Vientiane and chargeable for the operation of the railway’s Lao part, mentioned the prepare tickets are in excessive demand as a result of many passengers are desirous to expertise the high-speed EMU (electrical a number of unit) prepare, particularly these from neighboring nations like Thailand.

Thanyart Areeyat, a tour information from Thailand informed Xinhua on the Vientiane station not too long ago that everybody is and excited in regards to the China-Laos Railway.

“Curiosity in regards to the prepare makes many Thai individuals determine to journey to the north of Laos and it is going to be a particular expertise for them to take a bullet prepare in Laos,” mentioned the tour information.

“Thai vacationers will even be actually concerned about taking a bullet prepare on to China,” she added.

The 28-year-old mentioned that she was deeply impressed by the “cleanliness and smoothness” of the prepare working on the China-Laos Railway.

In response to the Lao Ministry of Info, Tradition and Tourism, within the first 10 months of 2022, 335,794 vacationers, accounting for 85.27 % of the entire, arrived in Luang Prabang by prepare.

Extra jobs

The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, was constructed with the total software of Chinese language administration and technical requirements.

The railway’s Lao part has created greater than 110,000 jobs for Lao individuals since its opening and has drawn the curiosity of quite a few Chinese language and native younger abilities who pursue their skilled careers on the railway.

Whereas the railway was nonetheless below development, the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. had opened a coaching course for round 600 Lao trainees to be taught prepare driving, scheduling and upkeep.

Vilaxay Xayluangsy, a 23-year-old man who works within the firm as a prepare dispatcher, mentioned he had determined to work with the railway as a result of he thought the corporate may give him a steady job, and the China-Laos Railway may drive the general growth of Laos.

“I used to be one of many first 600 Lao trainees who’ve acquired skilled railway theories and on-site follow coaching since 2020. Personally, it was an amazing alternative to enhance myself,” mentioned Vilaxay.

The LCRC held its first vocational-skill competitors right here in late November, aiming to enhance the talents of railway staff.

“Each workers carried out very effectively, and on the Vientiane station, one among our Lao colleagues was the champion of the passenger-service-skill competitors,” mentioned Wang Shu, a Chinese language specialist despatched by the LCRC to Vientiane.

Deeper friendship

The champion is the 28-year-old Pansay Yiayengva, who works as a conductor at Vientiane station of the railway.

She has grown from a rookie to an skilled passenger obligation attendant and supervisor with the assistance of her mentor, one among her Chinese language colleagues.

“We have been very touched and grateful to have these Chinese language colleagues instructing us,” she mentioned. “Laos and China joined palms to construct the railway, develop and deepen our friendship, and in addition developed our financial system in Laos.” Earlier than getting into the LCRC, Pansay spent three years learning enterprise administration in China.

The railway shall be an emblem of friendship between Laos and China and can carry happiness and prosperity to the individuals of each nations, Pansay mentioned.

Sida Phengphongsawanh, a 23-year-old woman who has labored as a locomotive upkeep engineer after concluding a sequence of coaching programs, additionally informed Xinhua in a current interview that working and spending time collectively have introduced her and her Chinese language colleagues nearer.

“Our Chinese language colleagues are very sort. They patiently educate us all the things we have to know to do our jobs,” Sida mentioned.