Cross-border transport handled by China-Laos Railway hits a record high in the first half of 2025, with robust growth in both passenger flow and freight volume.
According to Mohan's entry-exit frontier inspection station on the China-Laos border, as of 10:00 on Monday, the Mohan railway port recorded more than 145,000 outbound and inbound passenger trips from 91 countries and regions in the first half of the year, marking increases of 16 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, on a yearly basis.
"I have come to China many times. China is really big and beautiful. This is my second time to take a train on the China-Laos Railway. It feels smooth and comfortable. Besides, Malaysians are exempt from visas to China. It is very convenient," said Vivien Lim Chui Lye, a Malaysian traveler.
On the freight front, the China-Laos-Thailand cold-chain logistics route has shortened transit time from 55 hours to 40 hours, and the Lancang-Mekong Express service on the China-Laos Railway between Kunming City, Yunnan Province, and Vientiane, capital of Laos, has achieved 26-hour delivery.
"Our company's vegetables depart from Yuxi and use the Lancang-Mekong Express service via the China-Laos Railway to reach Laos' Vientiane, which only takes about 20 hours. Compared with road transportation, it saves about one-third of the time. Because of this, the company's import and export business has increased by about 10 percent this year," said Zhao Meng, head of a Yunnan international logistics company. In the first half of this year, the railway handled more than three million tons of cross-border freight ranging from farm produce, industrial products to daily necessities, up by 8.6 percent year on year.
China-Laos Railway cross-border transport registers new record in H1
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
