(East-West question) Why does the China-Laos Railway carry the high hopes of China and Laos?
China News Service, Kunming, December 2nd, title: Why does the China-Laos Railway carry the high hopes of China and Laos?
China News Agency reporter Miao Chao
The China-Laos Railway (Laos called "Laos-China Railway") has a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers. It starts from Kunming, China in the north and Vientiane, Laos in the south. "Lu Lianguo" strategy docking project.
The railway will be completed and opened to traffic on December 3, when direct transportation from Kunming to Vientiane is expected to be achieved on the same day.
In November 2021, China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd. organized the "China-Laos Railway Test Ride Experience Reporting Activity".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Jiaxian
Why does the opening of the China-Laos railway carry the high hopes of the two countries?
Kong Zhijian, deputy director of the Lao Institute of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, China (Kunming) Institute of South Asia and Southeast Asia, and Suriyah Monara, a researcher at the Center for Chinese Studies at the National University of Lao Interpretation.
The summary of the interview record is as follows:
China News Agency reporter: What expectations do China and Laos have for the opening of this railway?
Kong Zhijian: In China, news related to China-Laos Railway has attracted much attention from the public.
The China section of the China-Laos Railway connects Kunming, Yuxi, Pu'er, and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province. There are many ethnic groups such as Han, Yi, Hani, Jinuo, Dai and so on. Therefore, the opening of the China-Laos Railway is China's promotion of the prosperity of the frontier ethnic regions. One of the important measures of the People’s Republic of China is that people along the line expect the China-Laos Railway to deepen economic and cultural exchanges among all ethnic groups and inject new impetus into the economic development of China’s southwest border.
After the completion of the China-Laos railway, the China section will be connected to the Laos section. In the future, it will also be connected to the railways of Thailand and Malaysia. Chinese tourists are looking forward to taking trains to travel to Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries. At the same time, the China-Laos railway will also Promote cooperation in trade, investment, services, finance and other aspects between China and ASEAN countries. Chinese companies expect this railway to bring more development opportunities.
The appearance of Mohan Station (China-Laos border station) on China-Laos Railway.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Jiaxian
Suriyah Monara: On October 16 this year, the "Lan Cang" EMU of the Lao-China Railway was delivered; on October 20, the Mowan Section of the Lao-China Railway entered the dynamic inspection stage... The Lao people feel the dream of a modern railway Getting closer.
The Lao-China Railway will soon open to traffic.
It turns out that this is how dreams come true.
Like all Lao people, I am so excited and can't wait to travel to China by train and visit my friends in China.
The Laos-China Railway is an electrified railway connecting Kunming, China and Vientiane, Laos. It is an important infrastructure linking Laos and China and an important part of the Trans-Asian Railway.
It carries Laos’ national strategic dream of “turning a land locked country into a land-based union”, and it also bears the expectations of countless Lao builders and Chinese builders.
In November 2021, in the "China-Laos Railway Test Ride Experience Interview Activity", flight attendants displayed the cultural and creative products of China-Laos Railway.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Jiaxian
China News Agency reporter: Why is this railway a docking project between China's "One Belt One Road" initiative and Laos' strategy of "turning a land-locked country into a land-union" strategy?
Kong Zhijian: After the “Belt and Road” initiative was proposed, the China-Laos Railway is the first international railway to be invested, constructed and operated by China and directly connected to the Chinese railway network. It can be said to be the key to China's high-speed railway technology standards, facilities and equipment on the international stage. The project is an important start for the construction of the Trans-Asian Railway network.
For China, starting from China and Laos, to Thailand and then to Singapore, the goal of building the entire Southeast Asian railway network will be possible.
After the launch of the China-Laos railway project, there was hardly any pause, and there was no interruption during the epidemic.
Despite the so-called "debt diplomacy" and other voices in the West, Laos still ruled out interference and worked closely with China to promote the success of project construction.
The opening of the China-Laos Railway fully demonstrates China's confidence and determination to implement the "Belt and Road" initiative, realize mutual consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
In November 2021, in the "China-Laos Railway Test Ride Experience Interview Activity", the flight attendants displayed the meals provided on the China-Laos Railway EMU.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Jiaxian
Suriyah Monara: Laos is a "landlocked country". In the era of globalization, this severely restricts the travel and international exchanges of the Lao people.
The 236,000 square kilometers of Laos is surrounded by five countries including China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
And 80% of the land area of Laos is mountainous and plateau, which makes the traffic in Laos extremely difficult.
The "land lock country" has locked the Lao people's internal and external exchanges, the pace of Lao economic development, and the Lao people's yearning for a better life.
The construction of the Laos-China Railway will transform the "land-locked country" of Laos into a "land-linked country", which will greatly improve the transportation infrastructure of Laos, strongly stimulate the economic growth of Laos and benefit the people's livelihood, promote the development of local related industries, and open up a thoroughfare for economic development. At the same time, it is also conducive to changing the development environment of Laos to attract foreign investment.
In September 2018, the Xinping Tunnel of the China-Laos Railway (China Section) was under construction.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Miao Chao
China News Agency reporter: The successful completion and opening of the China-Laos railway will play a role in the relations between China and Laos?
Kong Zhijian: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos in 1961, the two countries have continuously deepened cooperation and enhanced friendship.
In 2009, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
At present, China is Laos' second largest trading partner and the largest source of investment. A large number of major projects have landed, and the China-Laos railway project has become a model.
This railway carries the traditional friendship between China and Laos, and it will inevitably make the tree of friendship between the two countries that are on the road of socialism more luxuriant.
2021 is of great significance to China and Laos. As good neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, the two countries have been walking together through storms and storms for 60 years.
One strip of water, the same drink, one source, the cultures of the two countries have many commonalities, and the opening of the China-Laos railway will be the best opportunity for the two countries to enhance their friendly relations.
In April 2020, the track laying of the Yuxi-Mohan section of the China-Laos Railway was fully launched.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Miao Chao
Suriyah Monara: The construction of the Laos-China Railway will deepen the friendship between the two peoples.
Laos and China are connected by mountains and rivers, and have a long history of friendship. Border trade is very active. However, due to environmental constraints, the volume and scope of trade have been greatly affected.
When the Laos-China Railway is opened, the large-volume, all-weather trains will further expand the scope of exchanges between the two peoples, more and more exchange projects, and deeper friendship between the two peoples.
Since the construction of the Lao-China Railway started, it has attracted the attention of the people along the line. The Lao people have always hoped to take the train to the world.
Now, it is being realized step by step.
The Laos-China Railway will become an important driving force for Laos and China to enhance economic and trade, investment, tourism, cultural exchanges and personnel exchanges. It is a concrete practice to promote the Laos-China comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era and build a Laos-China community with a shared future.
In July 2021, the erection of the longest bridge of the China-Laos Railway-Fengtong Bridge, undertaken by China Railway No. 5 Bureau and No. 6 Company, was completed.
The bridge is located in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, with a length of 7528.56 meters and a total of 227 bridges. It is the control project of this tender section.
Photo by Xie Yongbin issued by China News Service
China News Service: After the opening of the China-Laos railway, what impact will it have on Southeast Asia in the future?
Kong Zhijian: Actually, the China-Laos Railway has already attracted the attention of Southeast Asian countries.
The Malaysian "Star" reported last year that the China-Laos Railway will increase Laos' total revenue by 21% in the long-term and provide it with a link to the global supply chain, making the country more attractive to investors. Laos's tourism industry It will also benefit greatly from the railway demand; in October this year, some media quoted the Secretary-General of the Development and Reform Commission of Thailand De Nucha as saying that Thailand must find ways to solve the interconnection with China-Laos railway as soon as possible.
On June 18, 2021, the construction site of the Xishuangbanna section of the China-Laos Railway used horse carts to transport tower materials to ensure the external power supply project of the China-Laos Railway.
Photo by Zhou Zhiwang issued by China News Service
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, generations of people have opened roads in the mountains and built bridges when they encounter water. They have built a great transportation country and are accelerating the construction of a transportation power country.
Transportation is the backbone of the economy and the bond of civilization. The development of all countries is true development, and the common prosperity of everyone is true prosperity.
The China-Laos Railway will prove that the promotion of transportation cooperation between China and Southeast Asia is conducive to the smooth flow of inter-regional trade and investment, and the integration and communication of civilizations.
Suriyah Monara: The Laos-China Railway is an important part of the Trans-Asian Railway, and it can be connected with the railways of Thailand, Malaysia and other countries in the future.
In the near future, Chinese tourists can take the train to Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries for vacations, activating a pool of clean water for tourism along the route.
China and the countries along the route will realize market interconnection, promote the rapid development of tourism, trade and other industries, and inject new vitality into the economic development of various countries. At the same time, the Laos-China Railway will also create good conditions for expanding the scale of cooperation and exchanges between China and ASEAN. Deepening friendship and achieving win-win development in trade can further promote the development of a community with a shared future.
In November 2021, trainees from Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College are driving simulation of high-speed rail.
The institute undertakes the training content of "Educational Capacity Building and Educational Technology Cooperation" for the Chinese-aided Lao Railway Vocational and Technical College.
Through this kind of aid construction, China has cultivated railway professional and technical personnel for Laos.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Kang Ping
The Laos-China Railway is a path of hope, allowing the "Belt and Road" initiative to benefit more people.
Taking the Laos-China Railway as the string, accompanied by the symphony of construction, playing the sound of cooperation and win-win; the Laos-China Railway is like an ever-extending road of cooperation, facing the expectation of opening, traversing the mountains and ridges, and allowing each region to gradually realize the economy Development and prosperity.
Not only Laos, but the countries along the “Belt and Road” join and cooperate to build the “Belt and Road” together, so that everyone can share the fruits of development and gain more hope.
(over)
About the interviewee:
Photo courtesy of Kong Zhijian, Deputy Director of the Laos Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences and China (Kunming) South and Southeast Asia Research Institute
Kong Zhijian is the deputy director of the Laos Research Institute of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences and the China (Kunming) South and Southeast Asia Research Institute. He has long been engaged in the research of Laos and Myanmar issues, as well as the economic and food security of Southeast Asia.
Presided over research projects such as "The Development Trend of Laos's Internal Affairs and Diplomacy and Its Impact on China-Laos Relations" and "Study on China-Laos Development Strategic Planning Docking".
About the interviewee:
Suriyah Monara, a researcher at the China Studies Center of the National University of Laos
Suriyah Monara, a researcher at the China Studies Center of Lao National University, published the Chinese monograph "China and ASEAN: Vivid Practice of a Community of Shared Destiny" in September 2021.