The value of imports and exports via the China-Laos Railway exceeded 20 billion yuan (about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of this year, marking a 29.9 percent year-on-year increase, according to official data.
The China-Laos Railway, running from Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province to Vientiane in Laos, continues to power regional economic and trade cooperation. Since its opening in 2021, the railway has cumulatively transported goods worth over 94 billion yuan (about 13.8 billion U.S. dollars), involving more than 3,900 types of goods and reaching 19 countries and regions.
China-Laos Railway drives trade growth
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with visiting Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Beijing on Tuesday, to discuss relations between their two countries.
Thongsavanh is in China to attend the 11th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Wang said China is ready to work with Laos to further build a community with a shared future.
He urged efforts from both sides to make full use of the Joint Committee for China-Laos Economic Corridor Cooperation, accelerate development of the China-Laos Railway, and expand cooperation in trade and mineral resources.
Thongsavanh said Laos is committed to advancing the building of a Laos-China community with a shared future, and strengthening cooperation with China in connectivity, energy, mineral resources, and artificial intelligence.
He also pledged closer coordination to combat transnational crime and jointly safeguard ASEAN unity and autonomy, as well as regional peace and stability.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the Year of China-Laos Friendship.
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism comprises six countries: China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, which share the Lancang-Mekong River basin. The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, originates in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province and flows through the six countries, linking their economies and creating opportunities for regional cooperation.
Chinese foreign minister meets Lao deputy prime minister on relations
