On May 24, an online event hosted by the General Administration of Customs took place at Mengla Customs in Kunming. The discussion centered around the joint creation of the "Belt and Road" initiative, with a particular focus on the role and achievements of Kunming Customs in supporting the China-Laos Railway.
The China-Laos Railway has invigorated economic and trade cooperation between China and related countries. The growing bilateral trade between China and Laos, for instance, saw an impressive increase of over 20 percent in 2022. The World Bank highlights that the freight cost from Vientiane in Laos to Kunming in China has dropped by 40-50 percent, while Laos's domestic routes have seen a 20-40 percent cost reduction.
Ke Zhiqiang, deputy head of Kunming Customs, said that significant progress has been made since the China-Laos Railway began operations. Improvements are evident in passenger and cargo transport, industry cultivation, logistics, and port construction, resulting in stronger cross-border logistics. The freight network now extends to 13 countries and regions involved in the "Belt and Road" initiative.
The total international freight volume has topped three million tons. Furthermore, with the introduction of the international passenger service on April 13, the railway's cross-border services have been boosted, fueling high-quality economic development along the route.
Kunming Customs has been maximizing policy benefits of the RCEP, the China (Yunnan) Free Trade Pilot Zone, and the China-Laos Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone to enhance foreign trade via the China-Laos Railway. Efforts have been made to support new business models, promote cross-border e-commerce, and broaden global outreach for Yunnan enterprises and their products. By cooperating with customs in Chengdu and Chongqing, the connectivity of the China-Laos Railway with the China-Europe Freight Train has been strengthened.
Furthermore, nine categories of quality agricultural products from neighboring countries have been approved for import since the railway's operation. Currently, the freight volume overseen by Kunming Customs has exceeded 3 million tons, and businesses from all over China are actively participating in trade via the China-Laos Railway.
