China has doubled cross-border passenger train services between Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the China-Laos Railway starting Friday, according to China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd.
The move adds another pair of cross-border passenger trains on the route, with departures now available from both Kunming Railway Station and Kunming South Station, further boosting connectivity between the two countries.
The newly launched D86 train departs Kunming at 10:55 Beijing time, while the D84 service leaves Vientiane at 12:25 Beijing time. Both trains pass through 10 stations, with several stops along the way, including Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, and Mohan in Yunnan, as well as Boten, Muang Xay, Luang Prabang, and Vang Vieng in Laos. The entire journey takes approximately 10 hours, including time for border clearance.
Operating at speeds of up to 160 km/h with Fuxing bullet trains, the service features traveler-friendly amenities and trilingual instructions to accommodate international passengers.
"This is the first international passenger train to depart from Kunming Station, with a total capacity of 720 passengers. To better serve travelers from different countries, each seat is equipped with both domestic and international standard power outlets. Passenger information displays, announcements, and service signs are provided in Chinese, Lao, and English," said Miao Jiangna, chief conductor of China-Laos Railway international passenger train.
Railway authorities from both countries will adjust future schedules based on demand and strengthen cross-departmental coordination to improve service quality.
Since the launch of its inaugural cross-border service in April 2023, the railway has become a vital part of the regional transportation network, connecting people in China, Laos, and neighboring countries and regions.
"Since the launch of the international passenger service on the China-Laos Railway over two years ago, we have seen travelers from different countries taking the train every day. To date, the service has transported more than 500,000 cross-border passengers covering 115 countries and regions around the world. It has become a vital and convenient travel corridor connecting China, Laos, and neighboring countries and regions," said Yang Shunhao, an official serving on the China-Laos Railway's international passenger route.
China-Laos Railway doubles daily cross-border passenger services
China's development has never been a "threat" to anyone but the source of growth advancing common development of all countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press conference in Beijing on Friday.
Some Western media and think tanks are peddling so-called "China Shock 2.0," saying that "China is achieving fast development in high-tech sectors such as renewable energy and AI and relies on foreign markets to absorb its overcapacity, thus reducing the market share of developed countries and sending more serious shock waves to the global economy compared with the era of traditional manufacture industry," while there are foreign commentators saying that the "China Shock 2.0" argument ignores the genuine innovation occurring within the Chinese industrial ecosystem and that Chinese export is the exact booster of the global economy that is needed in the turbulent period and more indispensable than ever.
Commenting on that, Lin said: "From the world's factory to the world's market and innovation powerhouse, China's development is achieved through strong performance driven by innovation and brings tangible cooperation opportunities and space to the world. High-quality Chinese products represented by the 'old three' of textiles, furniture and home appliances have stabilized the global industrial and supply chain, lowered the living cost of global consumers and eased the inflationary pressure worldwide. China's green production capacity represented by the 'new three' of electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels has bridged the gap between supply and demand in global green development and bolstered the global energy transition and low-carbon development. Moreover, China's high-tech products represented by the 'new new three' of robots, AI and innovative drugs have broken high-tech barriers and monopoly and enabled people in more countries to access affordable new technologies," said the spokesman.
"Openness and cooperation bring about progress and win-win result. China's development has never been a 'threat' to anyone but the source of growth advancing common development of all countries. What really creates 'shocks' to the world has never been the innovation of Chinese companies and efficiency of Chinese industrial capacity, but protectionist moves of setting up barriers, decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains. China will stay committed to high-standard opening up, defend the multilateral trading system and provide more certainty and new impetus to the world economy with its own steady development," said Lin.
China's development never a threat: FM spokesman
