GLOBALink | China-Laos Railway has boosted economic development along the route in the first three months’ operation

Xinhua News March 03, Kunming. Stevedores are busy loading cargo at Wangjiaying West Station of Kunming, the starting point of China-Laos Railway International Cargo Train. The goods will be transported to Vientiane by China-Laos Railway （CLR）.

Since the CLR opened to international freight on December 3 last year, the freight volume and freight have steadily increased. As of March 3, more than 350 international cargo trains had run, delivering more than 250,000 tons of cargo, according to China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co. LTD.

Since the opening of CLR, the demand for freight has been increasing, and the categories of goods have increased from chemical fertilizers, feed, vegetables, etc. to electronic products, daily necessities and communication equipment and other materials, Mr Xu Chao, deputy general manager of the Kunming Branch of China United International Rail Containers Co. LTD., told Xinhua.

The CLR international cargo train leaves Kunming for Laos on Jan 10, 2022 （drone photo). [photo/Xinhua,provided by China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co. LTD.]

"Our freight products have been increasing from ordinary China-Laos international cargo trains to the Lancang-Mekong Express and cold chain trains. The Lancang-Mekong Express has high timeliness. Customers' goods can be transported from Kunming to Vientiane within 26 hours." Xu Chao said.

To better serve the train operation, relevant departments coordinated epidemic prevention and control and transportation organization, greatly improving customs clearance facilitation and transportation efficiency.

Mengla Customs, the Subordinate of Kunming Customs, introduced that the customs supervision workplaces are equipped with intelligent equipment such as inspection robots, and adopt the customs transfer export and national customs integration mode, and implement 24-hour reservation customs clearance, further realizing fast customs clearance under the supervision of the customs chain.

The CLR is an important project linking China's Belt and Road Initiative with Laos's strategy to transform a land-locked country into a land-linked country. It is over 1,000 kilometers long.

"The opening of CLR will not only promote economic development along the route but also promote the building of the China-Laos economic corridor and the China-Laos community with a shared future." Ma Yong, director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.

Haofeng International Logistics Co., Ltd. is a Sino-Lao joint venture with roots in Laos for more than ten years. "Thanks to the opening of CLR, we have successfully transformed from an overland logistics company into a diversified logistics company with logistics business growing exponentially,  and the company is stepping into a fast lane." Chairman of the company, Mr. Wang Lijun introduced.

Modern logistics, such as "rail-highway combined transportation" and "one-stop customs clearance", have greatly reduced logistics costs while improving the timeliness of cargo transportation, Wang Lijun said.

The CLR international cargo train is being loaded on February 25, 2022. [photo/Xinhua,byYao Bing]

Since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP） came into force in January this year, the cargo destinations of CLR have been further expanded to cover more than 10 countries and regions, including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore and Bangladesh, etc...

"Our logistics cost from Kunming to Vientiane has been reduced by 30% thanks to the CLR's advantages of punctuality, low cargo damage and saving transportation time." Yang Jie, head of Shanghai Rencheng Supply Chain Management co. 's Kunming branch, said. "The company began expanding its business in Laos in January and has already contracted shipments from Vientiane to Kunming."

"With the development of CLR freight, we are more confident about the expansion of the Southeast Asian market."  Yang Jie said.

Source: <https://www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/xwzx/hwxw/226193.htm>