China-Laos Railway is cutting journey times and raising living standards

Landmark project

As a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the railway showcases the infrastructure link that boosts the shared benefits of people from China, Laos and other countries.

It is the first transnational railway built under the BRI, funded mainly by Chinese investment, operated jointly by the two sides and connected directly to China's national railway network.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI, and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing from Oct 17 to 18.

"The China-Laos Railway has been completed and is providing a sound service, and its role as a golden transport channel is becoming increasingly prominent," according to the white paper of the State Council Information Office, which introduced and summarized the BRI's work and influence in recent years.

Before the China-Laos Railway, Laos only had a 3.5-km railway along its border with Thailand, so the new railway has helped Laos realize a long-held dream of becoming a land-linked country rather than a landlocked one.

It has promoted transportation, investment, logistics and tourism, and injected new impetus into the economic development of Laos and other places along the line.

According to a World Bank study — "From Landlocked to Land-Linked: Unlocking the Potential of Lao-China Rail Connectivity" — the railway could raise the aggregate income in Laos by up to 21 percent over the long term.

Meanwhile, the transit trade along the line through Laos is estimated to reach 3.9 million metric tons per year by 2030, which would include shifting an estimated 1.5 million tons of trade from maritime transport onto the railway, it said.