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
The ongoing fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) entered its third day on Wednesday, with a packed agenda of events and product launches, including 10 product debut events, as participating companies began securing cooperation agreements with partners at home and from abroad.
The fourth edition of the five-day expo has drawn more than 670 exhibitors from 85 countries, regions and international organizations.
On Wednesday morning, a series of new product unveilings took place, with four companies presenting their latest innovations, including an upgraded security patrol robot dog and medical-grade home care products.
"This year, [we've] brought the new generation AI cloud-specific functions, the new generation AI Agent, and our embodied intelligence series products. [We hope] to leverage the CISCE platform to further promote [our products and technologies] to the global market," said Zhao Jie, secretary of the Board of Directors at NEXWISE Intelligence China Limited, a leading innovator in AI product research, development and manufacturing.
Beyond new product launch events, Wednesday's agenda also included three thematic exchange activities among which the morning's advanced manufacturing-themed event provided a platform for high-level exchanges in the sector.
According to organizers, this year's exhibition area of Advanced Manufacturing has gathered nearly 100 Chinese and foreign enterprises to present the complete supply chain ecosystem in such areas as high-end equipment, new materials and industrial automation.
Among the exhibits are the CR450 high-speed train, currently the world's fastest in terms of designed operational speed and China's independently developed series of new energy locomotives. These achievements underscore collaborative innovation across industrial and supply chains.
"In China's rail transit equipment industry, our company plays the role of a 'chain leader.' At the CISCE, we are actively engaging with manufacturers from various countries, in efforts to enable our partners from the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and our new energy locomotive producers to go global in coordination," said Liu Huaxuan, overall designer of the locomotive development department at China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Dalian Co., Ltd.
So far, enterprises from Italy, the United States, Spain have signed cooperation agreements with the guest-of-honor provinces of Hainan and Anhui.
Supply chain expo sees bunches of new product launches, new deals
