President advises Chongqing to ship goods via Laos-China railway

President Thongloun Sisoulith has suggested that Laos and Chongqing municipality in China join forces to transport goods using the Laos-China Railway.
Use of the railway to ship goods would open up the Lao market to central and western areas of China, and enable goods from Laos to be shipped to other countries through Chongqing, while freight from Chongqing could be shipped to Laos and other Asean countries.​

A Chinese train speeds through the Lao countryside.​ --Photo Laos-China Railway Company Limited

The plan was put forward by President Thongloun Sisoulith when he visited Chongqing on June 19, where he was welcomed by a Member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo and Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, Yuan Jiajun.
President Thongloun also suggested that Laos and China share their knowledge of rural development and ways to alleviate poverty.
He also asked Chongqing authorities to encourage businesses to invest in Laos and encourage more Chinese nationals to visit Laos, according to a report in the Pasaxon Daily newspaper.
The Lao president said he highly valued the achievements made in socio-economic development under the guidance of the Party and authority committee of Chongqing municipality, especially the success in fulfilling the Resolution adopted by the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China.
He praised Chongqing’s success in reducing poverty levels and turning the city into a large-scale economic centre, as well as a pivotal point in linking development and land-sea transportation in western China and internationally.
Mr Yuan Jiajun reported on the success in cooperation between Laos and Chongqing​ municipality over the past year, and thanked Laos for sending a delegation to attend an international meeting that took place in Chongqing recently.
He said he was happy to continue to fulfil the agreements entered into between the leaders of the two parties and the states of Laos and China in order to enhance bilateral cooperation and achieve greater success.
The Laos-China​ Railway is carrying increasingly larger volumes of freight.
The cross-border transport of goods has increased by 500 percent year-on-year, the China Daily reported in February.
Since the beginning of this year, the railway has carried more than 600,000 metric tons of cross-border freight, including 510,000 tons of imported goods, accounting for the 500 percent increase, the report stated, citing the China Railway Kunming Group.

By Times​ Reporters​
 (Latest Update June 22, 2023)