China—Laos Railway

In April 2010， an agreement was reached between China and Laos on the first China-Laos railway， and the project was approved by the Lao parliament in October 2012. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in December 2015 for the Lao section of the line. Construction of the China-Laos railway officially began on Dec. 25， 2016， following a ceremony held in the northern Lao city of Luang Prabang.

The planned line is China’s first overseas railway project to provide a direct link to China’s internal rail network. It will also be an important section of the Pan-Asia railway network.

Starting from the Mohan-Boten crossing at the China-Laos border， the 400-kilometer-long line will run south to Vientiane， the capital of Laos. It is scheduled to open in 2021， with a designed speed of 160 kilometers per hour. Bridges and tunnels will make up 62.7 percent of the railway. Investment in the project will total about 40 billion Chinese yuan （US$5.76 billion）， 70 percent of which will be provided by China， with the remaining 30 percent provided by Laos.

Once in service， the railway will significantly boost Laos’ economic and social development， facilitate local transportation and improve its efficiency. The project is also set to expand cooperation between China and Laos in many areas. It will contribute to the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area， as well as inject new life into the economy in southwestern China.