Yunnan launches China-Laos cross-border freight shuttles

China-Laos cross-border freight trucks departed Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, on Wednesday and will arrive in Lao capital Vientiane via Mohan Port.

The trucks from Kunming are loaded with machinery, polyethylene pipes, cartons and other Chinese cross-border e-commerce commodities with a value of 3 million yuan (about $46.3 million). Meanwhile, Laotian goods worth about one million yuan including iron ore, tapioca and rubber have arrived at Mohan Port and will be dispatched throughout China from Kunming.

Yunnan borders Laos and trains from Kunming will arrive in Vientiane in a day after the completion of China-Laos Railway by the end of 2021.

The China-Laos cross-border freight shuttles were operated on a trial basis in order to prepare for the opening of China-Laos Railway and free trade between the two countries, according to Liu Lu, director of Kunming Municipal Bureau of Commerce..

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become the largest trade partner of China. Kunming, as a hub connecting China and ASEAN, will further improve its economy and its open corridor position with the signing of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the opening of China-Laos Railway, said Liu.

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