Ministry proposes measures to ease bottlenecks at Boten border crossing
 
The government will take action to tackle the problem of congestion at the Boten International Checkpoint, through which haulage trucks from Laos must pass to enter China.
Because of the Covid-19 outbreak, China introduced strict measures which slowed the passage of trucks from Laos into China from the end of 2021 to the beginning of 2022.
This meant that hundreds of trucks were stranded at the Boten International Checkpoint in Luang Namtha province, with the queue stretching for about 20 kilometres, according to the Laotradeportal.

Haulage trucks wait in line at the Boten border crossing in Luang Namtha province.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other government bodies recently met to discuss the problem and suggest measures to ease the situation should it reoccur.
One businessman said that the bottleneck period coincided with the peak export of agricultural produce to China, when his company sends produce to China under the opium substitute crop programme.
Problems at the border crossing slowed entry into China with the result that the produce went rotten and was unsaleable.
Director General of the Export and Import Department, Ms Manivone, said the government had assigned the Ministry of Industry and Commerce as the representative of the Central Trade Facilitation Committee to coordinate with other ministries to investigate the situation at the border and discuss ways to solve it by the end of December 2021, which resulted in more trucks being able to enter China.
The latest meeting proposed more measures to be introduced to prevent similar problems in the future.
The Import and Export Department suggested 10 measures to be carried out in conjunction with other relevant sectors, as follows:
(1) Appoint a special taskforce to formulate specific measures.
(2) The Luang Namtha Provincial Administrative Office should use the mechanisms recommended by the taskforce to solve the problem of traffic jams in Luang Namtha province and coordinate with neighbouring provinces in the systematic allocation of trucks to cross the border.
(3) The Luang Namtha Provincial Administrative Office to hold talks with LS Company, LICD Company and Hua Phan He Hao Company regarding allocation of land owned by them which has not been used as a car park and jointly create regulations for the management of a temporary car park.
(4) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Laos-China Cooperation Committee and other relevant sectors to continue negotiations with the Chinese side regarding the opening of the Laos-China border crossing, and the extension of the quota period to at least six months to one year.
(5) Establish NTMs measures for transit goods to be exported to China to facilitate the export of Lao goods.
(6) The management board of the international border crossing in collaboration with LS and LICD companies to prioritise the passage of trucks carrying agricultural produce, especially perishable products, and speed up the export process using the LNSW system.
(7) The Ministry of Public Works and Transport to improve the roads running from Oudomxay and Bokeo provinces to the Boten border crossing.
(8) The relevant public sector to formulate regulations on the transport of goods by rail, especially with regard to the entry and exit of goods at all stations on the Laos-China Railway.
(9) The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to continue to negotiate with China on products to be added to the list of agricultural produce for export under the opium poppy replacement programme.
(10) The Laos-China Railway Company, in conjunction with the government of China, to urgently establish an agricultural produce inspection area at Bohan Railway Station, enlarge the freight station on the Laos-China Railway in Oudomxay province, increase the number of containers, and create transparency in the regulations and procedures regarding rail freight services.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update August 31, 2022)