Mohan station.
Kunming has recently taken over Mohan town, a land port area in Xishuangbanna prefecture, to build an international port city. The move is looking to expand Kunming’s role in opening-up and international trade with South and Southeast Asian countries.
Boosted by favorable policy measures brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative, the implementation of RCEP pact, and the opening of the China-Laos Railway, Kunming has embraced unprecedented opportunities and conditions in further boosting opening-up and international trade.
The city has seen accelerated gathering of resource factors such as people, logistics, capital flow and information flow.
The joint effort of Kunming and Xishuangbanna in developing Mohan international port city is a concrete implementation that seizes the opportunities mentioned above. It will provide an effective carrier and strong support for Yunnan to radiate toward the South and Southeast Asian markets.
The teaming-up of Kunming and Xishuangbanna in the construction of Mohan international port city will give full play to the advantages of two places, including their four functional zones, namely, Kunming area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, Kunming Economic development Zone, Kunming Comprehensive Free Trade Zone, and Mohan-Moding Economic Cooperation Zone.
Two police officers from Mohan border inspection station check a freight train operating on the China-Laos Railway at Mohan land port in Yunnan province. [Photo by Zhong Jiusheng/For chinadaily.com.cn]
At present, the overall implementation plan for building the Mohan port city is being formulated. The port city will feature high-quality economic development, livable environment, excellent business climate, ethnic unity, and peace in the border areas.
Mohan land port recorded 1,868 freight train trips as of Sept 2 on the China-Laos Railway since its opening on Dec 3. The trains carried 1.28 million metric tons of goods valued at around 10 billion yuan ($1.44 billion). Of the total cargo, 340,000 tons of goods were exported and 940,000 tons were imported.
The railway has carried goods from 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, ranging from chemical fertilizers, rubber products and general merchandise at the initial stage to nearly 2,000 kinds of goods such as electronics, photovoltaics, communications and flowers.
Goods have been transported via Laos and neighboring countries to China from Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
The 1,035-kilometers railway, with a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour, runs from Kunming, Yunnan, and passes through 13 passenger and freight stations in the province before leaving China at Mohan land port and continuing on to Vientiane, the Laotian capital.
