China-Laos Railway sees growth in trade and travel

"Driving from Vientiane to Luang Prabang usually takes 8 to 10 hours, and it's easy to get carsick due to the poor road conditions and mountainous terrain in northern Laos," she said. "By train, it only takes 2 to 3 hours to get home, and it's more comfortable and safer."

Somphone Sichaleune, Lao Ambassador to China, said that the Laos-China Railway is the most representative flagship project of win-win cooperation between the two nations.

Fang Hong, Chinese ambassador to Laos, said that the railway has indirectly created over 100,000 jobs in Laos. The China-Laos Railway brings the people of the two countries closer with its tangible convenience and vitality, she added.

The railway has brought more economic and trade opportunities to Laos, facilitated easier movement of people, and promoted business exchanges and mutual understanding among the people of the two countries, said Su Qingyi, director of the department of international trade at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.