Accumulated experience

China has successfully built and operated a number of cross-border railways.

The China-Laos Railway, which links Yunnan province and Vientiane, the Laotian capital, opened in December. It is the first cross-border railway project mainly invested in, constructed and operated by China and linked to China's domestic rail system.

The line has improved the flow of goods and people between China and Laos, as well as other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

During its first six months, the line handled more than 3.2 million passenger trips, with some 2.8 million of the journeys made in China and 410,000 in Laos. The line also transported 4.03 million metric tons of goods.