The China-Laos Railway has handled 50,187 passenger trains and over 34.05 million passenger trips since its launch in December 2021, according to the railway operator.
The cross border passenger service was launched in April 2023, with the trains connecting Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with Lao capital Vientiane, to offer a convenient and efficient travel option for citizens of both countries.
Meanwhile, the China-Laos Railway's international service expanded in April this year, with a pair of trains connecting Xishuangbanna, a popular tourist destination in China, to Luang Prabang, another tourist hub in Laos.
The launch of cross-border passenger services further promotes cultural and people-to-people exchanges as well as economic cooperation between the two countries.
To ramp up transport capacity and offer a seamless travel experience, the railway department leverages real-time data. By analyzing ticket pre-sales and wait lists, they optimize train operation and ticket management, ensuring efficient service.
The China-Laos Railway is a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative. The 1,035-km railway started operation on Dec 3, 2021.
China-Laos Railway sees significant ridership, handling over 50,000 passenger trains since launch
China is stepping up efforts to strengthen its trade links with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies, with a growing emphasis on high-tech products in both imports and exports.
Data from the General Administration of Customs of China showed that in the first three quarters of 2026, China's trade with other APEC economies reached 24.07 trillion yuan (3.6 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for 60.3 percent of China's total foreign trade, up 2.5 percentage points from a year earlier.
Trade in high-tech products with other APEC economies jumped 50.3 percent in the same period, accounting for nearly half of the increase in bilateral trade, with the value of China's high-tech exports to APEC markets rising 58.2 percent year on year.
Products such as robots, solar equipment and electric vehicles are emerging as signature Chinese exports to the region.
For the intelligent bionic robots, the top three export destinations are the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea, with the APEC economies accounting for more than 60 percent of China's total global exports in this sector.
Exports of solar cells have continued to grow rapidly this year, with the value of exports to Indonesia, in particular, surging by nearly 150 percent.
China's new-energy vehicles have likewise gained traction across APEC markets, with demand steadily rising.
On the import side, the value of high-tech goods China sourced from APEC economies grew by 51.8 percent year on year in the first three quarters of this year.
Notably, imports of integrated circuits rose by more than two-thirds, while those of solid-state drives more than doubled, reflecting China's demand for advanced components.
China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen in south China this month, which will mark the country's third hosting of the event following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. The theme of this year's summit is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," while China has identified openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priority areas for this year's APEC cooperation.
China deepens high-tech trade ties with other APEC economies
