China-Laos railway cross-border trade exceeds 100 billion yuan

Cross-border goods carried by the China-Laos Railway have exceeded 100.4 billion yuan in cumulative value, according to a People's Daily report published on the Chinese government's website on October 9. The report cited Mengla Customs, part of Kunming Customs, and put the figures as of October 7. More than 25,000 international freight trains had carried over 20.77 million tonnes of imported and exported goods, with the scale of that trade growing by more than 24 percent a year on average. Imports of Southeast Asian tropical fruit through the railway had exceeded 16 billion yuan in value by the same date. The report linked fruit shipments to railway cold-chain transport and easier border clearance. In the first eight months of this year, mechanical and electrical product exports carried by the railway reached 7.42 billion yuan, up 58.4 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 66 percent of its export value. The customs authority has promoted advance declarations and faster railway clearance procedures at the border. The report said the Mohan railway port had put a large container inspection system and other smart equipment into use. It also described a rising export share for products such as smartphones, industrial robots, new-energy vehicles and vehicle parts.