（InKunming Lexi）As of September 30, 2023, there had been nearly 6,800 international freight trains in operation nationwide, with a cross-border freight volume exceeding 5.55 million tons. The number and freight volume of international freight trains in Yunnan Province accounted for over 70% and 90%, respectively, of the country's total. Specifically, Yunnan Province operated 2,730 international freight trains from January to September this year, showing a year-on-year increase of 60.10%, and the freight volume amounted to 3.0462 million tons, showing a year-on-year increase of 147.41%. The variety of goods had expanded from over 100 categories, such as fertilizers and general merchandise, to over 1,700 varieties in 35 major categories, such as electronics, photovoltaics, fresh fruits, and vegetables. The total value of goods exceeded 19 billion yuan. The opening of the China-Laos Railway made significant contributions to promoting regional connectivity, economic development along the route, and the improvement of the living standards of people along the route. The China-Laos Railway has become a crucial bridge for China's economic and trade cooperation with South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Paving a new way for regional connectivity.

Compared to traditional road transportation, the China-Laos Railway is more convenient and efficient. The "Lancang-Mekong Express" freight train departing from Kunming takes only 26 hours for the whole journey, saving 2-3 days in transportation time from Kunming to Vientiane and reducing costs by 20%. Particularly noteworthy is the recent opening of international trains such as the "Shanghai-Yunnan Lancang-Mekong Line" and the China-Laos cold chain special train, which have significantly enhanced regional connectivity, unimpeded the major artery of the economic and trade cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries from land.

Creating a new carrier for smooth domestic and international circulation.

Up to now, 25 provinces (districts, cities) across the country have engaged in international freight transportation business relying on the China-Laos Railway. The trade network extends to more than 10 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia. While the China-Laos Railway continuously delivers high-quality "Made in China" goods to ASEAN countries, tropical fruits such as durians and mangosteens from Laos and Thailand have gained easier access to the Chinese market. Since the designated inspection site for imported fruits at the Mohan railway port was put into use in December last year, the daily average operation of the China-Laos-Thailand international multimodal fruit cold chain train has achieved 1-2 trains, driving trade complementarity. The import volume of fruits has reached 72,800 tons so far, with a value exceeding 1.8 billion yuan.

Injecting new vitality into regional economic and trade cooperation. 

The China-Laos Railway provides an efficient and convenient logistics channel for cross-border goods, effectively promoting trade and international economic cooperation along the route. Despite the overall decline in foreign trade in Yunnan province, Yunnan's trade volume with Laos has shown a counter-trend growth, reaching 9.34 billion yuan from January to September, a year-on-year increase of 14.7%. By the end of September, 131 companies from Yunnan Province had signed contracts to enter Laos Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone, with a total investment of 1.03 billion US dollars, driving domestic export of goods worth 479 million US dollars.

Providing new support for improving people's well-being. 

The opening of the China-Laos Railway has created more than 10,000 employment opportunities in various industries such as logistics, transportation, commerce, and tourism, recruiting over 3,500 Laotian employees. In particular, the Kunming-Vientiane international passenger train officially operates on April 13 this year, taking only a day for passengers to experience the exotic charm by taking the train, significantly promoting the development of the tourism economy along the route. As of October 25, there have been 392 runs of the China-Laos Railway international passenger train, carrying nearly 76,000 cross-border passengers. We have also witnessed an increasing number of young people from mountainous areas in Laos stepping out into the world through the railway and embracing broader opportunities.

In a word, since the opening of the China-Laos Railway, it has demonstrated a flourishing development in both passenger and cargo transportation, promoted regional economic and trade cooperation, and benefited people along the route. The effect of this "Golden Route" corridor has been fully manifested.

Next, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce will leverage the China-Laos Railway to strengthen Yunnan's cross-border trade and logistics, actively expand economic and trade cooperation with the Indochina Peninsula, and promote the construction of international logistics corridors of China-Vietnam and China-Myanmar. It will continue to make progress in establishing Yunnan as a radiating center towards South Asia and Southeast Asia and contribute to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

10月26日，“开好局、强信心、促发展——贯彻落实党的二十大精神”系列新闻发布会·省商务厅专场发布会召开。会上，云南省商务厅公布了中老铁路的一组亮眼数据。

截至2023年9月30日，全国累计开行国际货运列车近6800列，跨境货运量超555万吨。云南省国际货运列车开行数量、货运量分别占全国70%、90%以上。其中，今年1-9月云南省累计开行国际货运列车2730列，同比增长60.10%，货运量304.62万吨，同比增长147.41%。货物品类从初期的化肥、百货等100多种扩展到电子、光伏、鲜货等35个大类1700多种，货物货值超190亿元。中老铁路的开通为促进区域互联互通和沿线经济发展、提高沿线民众生活水平作出了重要贡献，已成为我国与南亚东南亚经贸合作的重要桥梁。

为区域互联互通开辟了新通道。中老铁路相比传统公路运输更加方便快捷，从昆明开行的“澜湄快线”货运列车全程仅需26个小时，昆明到万象货物运输时间节约2-3天，成本节约20%。尤其是最近我省开通了“沪滇·澜湄线”、中老冷链专列等国际班列，大幅提升区域互联互通水平，畅通了我国从陆上通往东南亚国家的经贸合作大动脉。

为畅通内外循环搭建了新载体。截至目前，全国已有25个省（区、市）依托中老铁路开展国际货物运输业务。贸易网络辐射老挝、泰国、缅甸、越南、马来西亚等10余个国家和地区。中老铁路在源源不断向东盟国家输送“中国制造”优质商品的同时，来自老挝、泰国的榴莲、山竹等东南亚热带水果更加便捷地进入中国市场。自去年12月磨憨铁路口岸进境水果指定监管场地投入使用以来，中老泰国际多式联运水果冷链专列实现日均开行1-2列，带动实现了贸易互补，截至目前进境水果货运量达7.28万吨，货值超18亿元。

为沿线经贸合作注入了新动力。中老铁路为跨境货物提供了高效便捷的物流通道，有力促进沿线贸易往来和国际经贸合作。在目前全省外贸下行的大环境下，云南与老挝贸易额逆势增长态势，1-9月，进出口额达93.4亿元，同比增长14.7%。截至9月底，云南省企业参与开发运营的老挝万象赛色塔综合开发区签约入园企业131家，累计投资额达10.3亿美元，带动国内货物出口额4.79亿美元。

为增进民生福祉提供了新支撑。一路通，则百业兴。中老铁路开行以来，累计招聘老挝员工3500余人，在物流、交通、商贸、旅游等行业间增加就业岗位10万余个。尤其是今年4月13日，昆明至万象国际客运列车正式开通运营，旅客们可以坐上火车朝发夕至领略异国风情，极大促进了沿线旅游经济发展。截至10月25日，中老铁路国际客运列车开行392列次，搭载跨境旅客近7.6万人次。我们也看到越来越多老挝山区的青年可以通过铁路，走出大山，拥抱世界。

总之，中老铁路开通以来呈现客货两旺发展态势，以货畅其流促进了沿线经贸合作，以人享其行造福了沿线百姓，其“黄金线路”大通道作用充分彰显。

下一步，云南省商务厅将依托中老铁路做大做强云南省跨境贸易和跨境物流，积极扩大与中南半岛的经贸合作，促进中越、中缅加快国际物流大通道建设，努力在建设我国面向南亚东南亚辐射中心上不断取得新进展，为推动共建“一带一路”高质量发展作出云南贡献。（中文稿件来源：云南网记者 张琦敏）