（InKunming Lexi）Since the designated supervision site for inbound fruits was put into use at the Mohan Railway Port in December 2022, the import volume of fruit freight trains via the China-Laos Railway has exceeded 40,000 tons, with a value of 988 million yuan, according to recent statistics from Yunnan International Railway Service and Trading Co., Ltd.

The China-Laos Railway offers transportation advantages such as faster delivery than sea freight, lower prices than air freight, and less loss compared to road transport. These characteristics make it the preferred choice for cross-border transportation of tropical fruits such as durians and mangosteens, providing a convenient and efficient channel for Southeast Asian tropical fruits to enter the large Chinese market. Currently, 1 to 2 special cold-chain trains of fruits operate on the China-Laos Railway daily.

China-Laos Railway: Comprehensively deepen the economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN countries

With the deep implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), China's economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN countries continues to deepen, with highly interconnected industrial and supply chains. China and ASEAN maintained a strong momentum as each other's largest trading partners in the first five months of 2023, according to customs data. 

As an international land artery connecting the Chinese and ASEAN markets, the China-Laos Railway provides a new logistics option for comprehensive economic and trade cooperation between the two regions. Tropical fruits such as durians and mangosteens from Laos and Thailand are transported directly to Kunming through cold chain transportation. Chinese fresh flowers, vegetables, textiles, and other goods are continuously shipped to Southeast Asian countries, achieving trade complementarity.

Over 4 million tons of cross-border goods worth more than 18 billion yuan have been transported via the China-Laos Railway up to now. Among them, Yunnan International Railway Service and Trading Co., Ltd. has transported 372,17 tons of cross-border goods worth 16.205 billion yuan via the China-Laos Railway.

Special Fruit Trains: Accelerating the import of tropical fruits

On June 27th, two special cold chain trains of fruits loaded with Thai durians and mangosteens arrived at the Kunming Wangjiaying West Container Center Station. It took only 26 hours to travel from Vientiane South Station in Laos to arrive in Kunming. And the fruits were quickly distributed and transferred to major fruit markets across the country after arrival. Such scenes have been happening every day recently.

Tropical fruits have a relatively short shelf life, and how to quickly transport them from their places of origin to the consumer market has always been a challenge in the logistics industry. Especially for durian, known as the "king of fruits," requires cold chain transportation at minus 18 degrees Celsius. The difference between arriving one day earlier or later significantly affects the quality, and there is also a significant difference in transportation costs.Since the opening of the fruit trains on the China-Laos Railway, the transportation time for Thai durians to Kunming has been reduced from 5-7 days to 3 days, significantly shortening the delivery time. The durians can now be picked at a ripeness level of 9, compared to the previous 7, resulting in improved taste and quality. Additionally, due to the stable nature of railway transportation, the loss during transit is relatively minimal, reducing the overall import costs. As a result, the market prices have also decreased significantly, with the lowest reaching over 20 yuan per kilogram. Some netizens have remarked, "Thanks to the China-Laos Railway, we have achieved durian freedom this year."

On December 6th, the first batch of Laotian bananas bound for China was loaded at the Vientiane South Railway Station in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. (Photo by Kaiqiao/Xinhua)

The China-Laos Railway has brought tangible benefits to Chinese consumers and Thai fruit farmers.

Train services: fill the air with the aroma of fruits along the China-Laos Railway 

Before the designated supervision site for inbound fruits at the Mohan Railway Port was established and put into use, Yunnan Province issued supporting policies and adopted a combined rail-road-rail customs clearance method to solve the problem of cross-border transport of Southeast Asian tropical fruits via the China-Laos railway. A total of 6,515 tons of fruits, valued at 103 million yuan, were transported. On December 3rd last year, after the designated supervision site for inbound fruits at the Mohan Railway Port was put into use, Yunnan International Railway Service and Trading Co., Ltd. immediately organized the first direct, special train of fruits on the China-Laos Railway, successfully testing the entire transportation and customs clearance process, laying the foundation for subsequent large-scale fruit imports.

With strong support from the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province, the Yunnan Development and Reform Commission, China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd., Kunming Customs, and China United International Railway Containers Co., LTD., since this year, Yunnan International Railway Service and Trading Co., Ltd. has strengthened cooperation with domestic and foreign entities and actively explored the operation of the China-Laos-Thailand international railway intermodal cold-chain trains, continuously optimized the organization process and customs inspection measures for imported fruit transportation, and ensured the efficient and seamless operation of the entire process, achieving fast fruit transportation.

During the shipping stage, assistance is provided to customers in liaising with the Laos-China Railway Company in advance when the fruit was shipped from the place of origin, coordinating the transportation plan, and ensuring that Thai fruits are promptly shipped after arriving at the Vientiane South Station. Some fruits are also transported via the meter-gauge railway in Thailand to the Thanaleng Station in Laos to connect to the China-Laos Railway for the entire rail transportation process, compressing the waiting time for intermediate processes and improving transportation efficiency.

At the Mohan Railway Port, Kunming Customs has implemented convenient customs clearance measures such as "green channels," "preliminary document review," and "two-step declaration, centralized taxation," achieving "immediate inspection upon arrival" and "immediate release upon verification," greatly improving the customs clearance efficiency. After the goods arrive at the Wangjiaying West Station in Kunming, China United International Railway Containers Co., LTD. takes measures such as priority unloading and delivery and has set up container unloading facilities at the station, ensuring that fruits are distributed to fruit markets across the province and the country in a timely manner.

近日，据云南省国际班列服务贸易有限公司统计显示，自2022年12月磨憨铁路口岸进境水果指定监管场地投入使用以来，中老铁路进口水果班列货运量已超4万吨，货值9.88亿元。

中老铁路时效优于海运、价格优于空运、损耗优于公路的运输特点，使其成为榴莲、山竹等热带水果跨境运输的首选，为东南亚热带水果进入中国大市场提供了便捷、高效的通道。目前，中老铁路水果冷链专列日均开行1-2列。

中老铁路——助力全面深化与东盟国家的经贸合作

随着RCEP的深入实施，中国与东盟经贸合作不断深化，产业链与供应链高度联结。据海关数据，2023年1-5月中国与东盟继续保持互为第一大贸易伙伴的良好势头。

中老铁路作为连接中国与东盟两大市场的国际陆路大通道，为两地全面经贸合作提供了新的物流选择。来自老挝、泰国的榴莲、山竹等东南亚热带水果也通过冷链运输直达昆明，中国的鲜花、蔬菜、布匹等源源不断运往东南亚国家，很好地实现了贸易互补。

截至目前，全国累计通过中老铁路到发跨境货物超400万吨、货值超180亿元。其中，云南省国际班列公司累计通过中老铁路到发跨境货物372.17吨，货值达162.05亿元。

水果专列——跑出热带水果进口加速度

6月27日，两列满载泰国榴莲、山竹的水果冷链专列到达昆明王家营西集装箱中心站，从老挝万象南站出发仅用时26个小时，到达后又快速分拨转运至全国各大水果市场。近期，这样的场景每天都在上演。

热带水果的保质期比较短，如何快速从产地运送到消费市场，一直以来都是物流行业的难题。特别是有着“水果之王”之称的榴莲，需要采用零下18℃的冷链运输，早到一天与晚到一天品质完全不同，运输成本也有较大的差距。

中老铁路水果班列开通以来，泰国榴莲运输到昆明从原来的5—7天缩短至现在的3天，运输时间大大缩短，榴莲采摘的成熟度也可以从7成熟提升到9成熟，口感和品质也更好，再加上铁路运输较平稳的特点，运输途中损耗较小，降低了整体进口成本，市场售价也随之大幅降低，最低时降至20多元/斤，有网友说：“因为中老铁路，今年实现了榴莲自由”。

中老铁路，让中国消费者和泰国果农得到了实实在在的实惠。

班列服务——让果香飘满中老铁路

在磨憨铁路口岸进境水果指定监管场地还未建成投入使用前，云南省专门出台支持政策，采用铁-公-铁联运的通关方式，解决东南亚热带水果通过中老铁路运输入境难题，共计运输水果6515吨，货值1.03亿元。去年12月3日，云南省国际班列公司在磨憨铁路口岸进境水果指定监管场地投入使用后，第一时间组织了首列中老铁路直通水果专列，成功测试全程运输及通关流程，为后续大批量水果入境奠定了基础。

今年以来，在云南省商务厅、云南省发展改革委、中国铁路昆明局集团公司、昆明海关、中铁联集等部门大力支持推动下，云南省国际班列公司加强与境内外单位合作，积极探索开行中老泰国际铁路联运冷链班列，不断优化进境水果运输组织流程及通关查验措施，保障了全流程的高效衔接运转，实现了水果快捷运输。

启运阶段，水果在产地起运时就提前帮助客户对接老中铁路公司，协调好运力计划，实现泰国水果集中到达万象南站后成列及时发运，部分水果还通过泰国米轨铁路发运至老挝塔拉棱换装站联接中老铁路，实现全程铁路运输，压缩中间环节等待时间，提高了运输效率。

在磨憨铁路口岸，昆明海关采取“绿色通道”“单证预审”“两步申报、汇总征税”等通关便利措施，做到“即到即查、即验即放”，大幅提高了通关效率。到达昆明王家营西站后，中铁联集采取优先卸车、优先交付等保障措施，并在站内开辟了掏箱功能，确保水果第一时间分拨至全省及全国各地水果市场。（中文稿件来源：云报客户端 记者张雁群）