Laos, known as the "roof of the Indo-China Peninsula", has mountains and plateaus accounting for 80% of the country's land area, and the transportation is extremely inconvenient. It is also the only landlocked country among ASEAN countries.
A few years ago, Laos had only a 3.5-kilometer railway connecting Thailand.
Transportation has become a major factor restricting the economic development of Laos.
On December 3, 2021, a China-Laos railway with a total length of 1,035 kilometers was officially opened from Kunming, Yunnan, China in the north to Vientiane, the capital of Laos in the south.
This is the first overseas railway that adopts Chinese standards, is constructed and operated in cooperation with Laos, and is directly connected to the Chinese railway network.
"Once the railway is connected, the mountains from Kunming to Vientiane will no longer be high and the road will no longer be long." President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony that China is willing to work with Laos and other countries along the route to speed up the establishment of a closer "Belt and Road" partnership and jointly promote Build a community with a shared future for mankind.
△On December 3, 2021, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Thongloun attended the opening ceremony of the China-Laos Railway in Beijing via video link.
To develop ourselves and benefit the world is the essence of the Chinese-style modernization path.
"The Chinese people welcome people from all over the world with open arms to take the 'express train' and 'free ride' of China's development." President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that China will create more opportunities for the world through its own development.
This is based on the fundamental interests of the Chinese people and also reflects the common aspirations of the people of all countries.
"Look, 'Red Komodo' is here!"
When the red-painted train slowly pulled out of Dekarur Station, local Indonesian resident Dadan Nandal shouted excitedly to the screen of his mobile phone.
In Dadan's live broadcast room, fans celebrated the successful trial operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail.
The Komodo dragon is endemic to Indonesia and the largest lizard in the world.
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail EMU combines the red and silver painting of Indonesian local culture, with the abstract texture pattern of the Komodo dragon, which is affectionately called "Red Komodo" by netizens.
As the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has attracted widespread attention from the Indonesian people and has become one of the hottest topics on Indonesian social media.
Many netizens left messages: "I am very proud that Indonesia has the first 'Red Komodo' high-speed train in Southeast Asia, it is the best!" "I can't wait to take the high-speed train!" "May the high-speed train bring happiness to the Indonesian people!"
△On November 9, 2022, in Bandung City, West Java Province, Indonesia, a high-speed rail EMU is undergoing a hot sliding test on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail test section.
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail has a total length of 142 kilometers and a design top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It connects the capital Jakarta and Bandung.
In July 2022, during talks with President Joko Widodo, who was visiting China, President Xi Jinping stated that the two sides should promote high-quality cooperation in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" to continue to deepen and bear more fruitful results.
"Strive to build the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway with high quality as scheduled."
△On the evening of November 16, 2022 local time, President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo observed the trial operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail in Bali.
On November 16, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia, President Xi Jinping and President Widodo jointly issued an order to announce the launch of the trial operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail.
△The staff are working at the track-laying construction site of the Bandung-Jamanja-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia (photographed on April 20, 2022).
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail connects the capital Jakarta with the fourth largest city Bandung.
In the past, people traveled between the two places mainly by train or van, which took about 3 hours.
After the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail, the travel time will be shortened to 40 minutes.
"It's not only fast, it's also environmentally friendly because it's powered by electricity. We hope that the cooperation between the two countries doesn't stop there, and that it can continue to expand to other cities so that everyone can commute faster and more efficiently." The Indonesian people are full of expectations for the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway.
More than 2,000 years ago, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions to establish the famous Silk Road connecting Europe and Asia, witnessing the glory of "the envoys meet each other on the road, and business travel never ends".
In 2013, a major initiative revitalized the millennium Silk Road—in September and October, President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan and Indonesia, and successively proposed to jointly build the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the 21st Century "Maritime Silk Road". Road", that is, the "Belt and Road" initiative.
△On October 3, 2013, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Indonesian Parliament, proposing the initiative of jointly building the 21st century "Maritime Silk Road".
Driven by the construction of the "Belt and Road", China's Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and other cities have opened China-Europe trains one after another.
The China-Europe trains running on the Eurasian continent are just like the camel caravans on the ancient Silk Road, fully loaded with goods, traversing mountains and rivers, realizing the "handshake" between China and Europe across the continent, and revitalizing the ancient commercial roads.
△On June 13, 2018, the first China-Europe express car import special train arrived in Xi'an, Shaanxi.
In the face of the impact of the new crown epidemic, the China-Europe Railway Express has risen against the trend by virtue of its low cost, fast timeliness and large transportation volume. The "stabilizer" and "accelerator".
In February 2021, in the keynote speech at the China-CEEC Leaders Summit, President Xi Jinping pointed out that we will continue to support the development of China Railway Express and fully tap the potential of cooperation.
In Duisburg, Germany, the China Railway Express attracted hundreds of logistics companies to settle down, creating more than 20,000 job opportunities; at the Maraszewicz Port Station in Poland, the business volume of the China Railway Express increased rapidly, contributing to local economic growth and development. Employment makes an important contribution to...
As of August 2022, China Railway Express has 82 operating lines, reaching 200 cities in 24 European countries, gradually "connecting dots into lines" and "weaving lines into a network". The transportation service network covers the whole of Europe, and the types of goods transported It involves more than 50,000 categories in 53 categories, including clothes, shoes and hats, automobiles and accessories, food, and wood.
△In 2022, 5,063 China-Europe (Asia) trains will be opened in the Yangtze River Delta region, a year-on-year increase of 15.2%, and the total number of trains will hit a record high.
This year, with the optimization and adjustment of the epidemic prevention and control policy, my country's foreign trade industry has accelerated its recovery, and the China-Europe Railway Express has achieved a new "acceleration".
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, colorful buses full of fans shuttled through the streets of the capital Doha.
A large portion of these buses come from China.
This Chinese new energy "green fleet" has become the main force to guarantee transportation services for the World Cup.
Qatar is rich in oil and gas. Before China's new energy buses entered Qatar, there were basically no electric vehicles in Qatar, and fuel vehicles were in a monopoly position.
In order to honor the promise of hosting a "carbon-neutral" World Cup, and as part of economic structural transformation and diversified development strategies, Qatar has actively promoted the development of new energy industries in recent years and promoted green travel in the field of public transportation.
China, which has a leading edge in the field of new energy buses, has become Qatar's favored cooperation partner.
The Chinese company has thus become the only supplier of electric buses in Qatar.
After the World Cup, these pure electric buses imported from China have become an important part of Qatar's public transportation, serving the local road network for a long time.
△In Doha, Qatar, the new energy buses serving the World Cup are ready to go, among which Yutong new energy buses from China are the main force.
On July 2, 2019, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 2019 World New Energy Vehicle Conference, pointing out that China adheres to the path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development, and is willing to work with the international community to accelerate the technological innovation of new energy vehicles and related industries development, and make greater contributions to building a clean and beautiful world and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China's leading technology in the field of new energy is benefiting more developing countries through the "Belt and Road" construction.
According to a report released by the Pakistan Sustainable Development Policy Institute, the development of new energy transportation will contribute to the green and low-carbon transformation.
Navi Arshad, a professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, said that Chinese companies have advanced technology, rich experience, and cost-effective solutions, and they have become the backbone of Pakistan's new energy transportation development.
According to data from the Thai Automobile Association, Chinese brands account for more than 90% of Thailand's total sales of pure new energy vehicles.
Chinese new energy car companies build local factories and develop local production lines to promote the green and low-carbon transformation and upgrading of Thailand's auto industry.
△ Chinese new energy vehicles on the streets of Thailand
Today's China is a China that is closely connected with the world.
Along with the steady advancement of Chinese-style modernization, China will join hands with other countries to create a better future.
Producer丨Geng Zhimin
Producer丨Xing Lai
Editor-in-Chief丨Ning Lili
Written by Yan Ge
Vision丨Jiang Yuhang
Proofreading丨Cheng Yu