From "lock" to "link": China Laos railway sets up a new channel for development China Laos | railway | channel
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the ground in Luang Prabang was slightly moist after the rain. At the LC International Logistics and Storage Center beside the China Laos Railway, the workers have begun their day's work. Within the park, hundreds of containers containing various types of goods such as ores and fertilizers are stacked in an orderly manner, waiting to be transported to different destinations through this new railway connecting China and Laos.
As an important co construction project of the "the Belt and Road", the freight section of the China Laos Railway has been put into operation since December 2021. LC International Logistics Trade Warehouse Center is a land port built on the basis of the China Laos Railway. It is located at the south end of Luang Prabang Railway Station, the second largest city in Laos, and provides enterprises with services such as transportation of goods, container distribution, comprehensive warehousing, import and export customs.
"After the opening of the China Laos Railway, our transportation costs immediately fell, and we have more and more business." Xiao Taifu, the deputy general manager of the center, said with a smile, "logistics, warehousing, customs declaration, customs clearance... these jobs are too much to do."
While the transportation volume has increased significantly, the efficiency has also been greatly improved. Xiao Taifu said that in the past, bananas needed to stay at the Mohan Port in Laos for customs clearance. If it exceeded 7 days, they would break, not only unable to be sold, but also incurring processing costs. After the opening of the China Laos Railway, the goods "can be declared in the morning and left in the afternoon", and the transportation cycle has been shortened several times.
According to Kunming Administration of China Railway, as of May 16 this year, the total number of goods delivered by the China Laos Railway has exceeded 20 million tons. Among them, the cross-border freight volume exceeded 4 million tons, with a value of 17.7 billion yuan. At present, the LC logistics center has completed trade of over 80000 tons of goods such as iron ore, fertilizer, and cassava powder.
![From "lock" to "link": China Laos railway sets up a new channel for development China Laos | railway | channel](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/3cdca34bf02d2be27050d11f7528e62b.jpg)
Photo by Zhao Yuqing from LC Logistics Park
The China Laos railway not only drives the trade between China and Laos, but also provides a golden transportation channel for goods from many ASEAN countries. Thai durian, which is highly popular in the market, can now reach China in just 3 days at the fastest. "Durian is especially cheap in China this year, largely because the China Laos railway has been opened," said Xiao Taifu.
At the LC logistics center, several containers of China Europe freight trains are eye-catching. In July this year, a batch of Thai international goods entered the country from China Laos Railway, transferred to Chengdu through customs, and transported to Hungary through China Asia, becoming the first freight train in the mode of "China Laos Railway+China Europe Express". With the help of the China Laos Railway, the passage of Southeast Asian goods into Europe is also more smooth.
Containers that are about to transit in the mode of "China Laos Railway+China Europe Express". Photo by Zhu Yixiao
Xi Kai, a Laotian who studied in Guizhou, China for three and a half years, is now working as an on-site administrator at the LC logistics center. At present, his monthly salary is 3.5 million kip. "This job pays well," said Xi Kai. Lao truck driver Li Youfu, who also works in the logistics park, said that he had four children in his family. His salary was 1.5 million kip a month before, and his life was very stressful. After the opening of the China Laos railway, he came to work in the logistics park. His salary was 2 million kip, up by 1/3, and his life pressure was much reduced.
![From "lock" to "link": China Laos railway sets up a new channel for development China Laos | railway | channel](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/5290ca939ea2891f01f5adac16f464df.jpg)
By the end of May this year, the China Laos Railway had recruited more than 3500 Lao employees, and indirectly added more than 100000 jobs in logistics, transportation, commerce, tourism and other industries. From "locking" to "connecting", the China Laos railway is bringing new opportunities for connectivity and common development of countries in the region.