China-Laos Railway sees rapid growth

The Kunming branch of Shanghai Rencheng SCM Co mainly exports cloth and textiles to Southeast Asian markets such as Laos, Myanmar and Thailand via the expressway.

Yang Jie, manager of the company, said that in the past they mainly relied on highway transportation, which would be affected by COVID-19 outbreaks.

"The China-Laos Railway, owing to its quick customs clearance and low damage to cargos, not only improves transport efficiency but also decreases cost by about 30 percent," she said.

She added that the epidemic has affected many cross-border enterprises, and the railway works as a "stable bridge" to link clients worldwide. She said the company's export volume was much larger than before the epidemic emerged, thanks to the railway's fast speed and controllable delivery time.

Asia-Potash International Investment (Guangzhou) Co in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, invested 3.2 billion yuan to build a potash fertilizer production base in Laos whose production is expected to reach 3 million tons in 2024.

Liu Bingyan, deputy general manager of the company, said so far it has transported about 10,000 tons of potash fertilizer back to China through the railway, to serve agriculture in southwestern regions.

She said it will enlarge volume and is planning more collaboration.

The China-Laos Railway started operating in December. It stretches 1,035 kilometers, linking Kunming, Yunnan province, with the Laotian capital, Vientiane. It takes 26 hours to travel between the two cities.

Li Wenfang in Guangzhou contributed to this story.