(Yicai) Oct. 13 -- Imports and exports of goods via the China-Laos Railway have exceeded CNY100.4 billion (USD15 billion) since the railroad became operational in late 2021, boosted by rising trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

More than 25,000 international freight trains have run on the China-Laos Railway from its opening in December 2021 to Oct. 7, transporting over 20.8 million tons of imported and exported goods, with an average annual growth rate of over 24 percent, according to data released by Kunming Customs in China’s southern Yunnan province on Oct. 8.

In addition, the China-Laos Railway has handled more than 80 million passengers as of Oct. 9, including 16 million so far this year, up 5 percent from a year earlier, according to figures from China Railway Kunming Group.

The 1,035-kilometer-long China-Laos Railway connects Kunming and Vientiane. In July 2022, the Vientiane South Station Transshipment Yard became operational, connecting the China-Laos Railway with the Thai Railway.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, comprising 15 countries including China and ASEAN members, came into force in 2022, offering zero tariffs on most goods traded in the region and driving rapid growth in trade between China and ASEAN. Many tropical fruits from Southeast Asia have entered China via the China-Laos Railway.

The value of durian, mangosteen, longan, and other tropical fruits imported to China from Southeast Asia via the China-Laos Railway rose 12.4 percent to CNY5.3 billion (USD791.5 million) in the first eight months of this year from a year earlier. Since the railroad began operating, relevant fruit imports from Southeast Asia have exceeded CNY16 billion (USD2.4 billion), according to Kunming Customs.

In addition, many China-made high-tech products, including smartphones, industrial robots, and new energy vehicles, are exported to Southeast Asia via the China-Laos Railway. In the January to August period, the value of mechanical and electrical products exported via the railroad surged 58 percent to CNY7.4 billion, accounting for 66 percent of the total value of exported goods.

The China-Laos Railway aims to transport at least 110 million tons of goods and potentially over 120 million tons by 2027, including over 27 million tons of cross-border freight, as well as handle 100 million passengers, including more than 1.4 million cross-border travelers, according to a plan released by Yunnan province last year.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev