A tunnel is under construction for the China-Laos railway in northern Laos on May 20, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

2. Railway networks in Asia

China is pushing ahead with the construction of the Trans-Asian Railway Network. There has been a gradual progress since 18 countries signed the Trans-Asian Railway Network agreement in 2006.

The line in Kunming will extend east to Laos, linking Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and finally Singapore. There are plans to connect tracks to Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The construction of the new 414-kilometer China-Laos railway began last year.

Chinese companies started building Indonesia's high-speed rail link connecting the capital Jakarta with Bandung, the country's first overseas high-speed project that Chinese companies bagged in 2015.

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