The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming City in southwest China's Yunnan province with Vientiane, the capital of Laos, has transported 8.5 million passengers and 11.2 million tons of goods since it went fully operational on Dec. 3, 2021, according to the latest data of the China Railway Kunming Bureau Group.

As of Dec. 2 this year, about 3,000 cross-border freight trains had operated on the railway, and the Kunming customs department had handled nearly 2 million tons of goods for import and export.

The electrified passenger-and-cargo railway is the first international railway project built with Chinese investment and the full application of Chinese management and technical standards, and directly connected to China's railway network.

It is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

Since its full operation, the number of passenger trains on the Chinese section of the railway has been adjusted according to the passenger flow and the COVID-19 epidemic control measures. An average of 42 passenger trains have operated on the railway every day, with the highest number reaching 65.

Laos has opened more passenger stations for the railway and realized the simultaneous operation of bullet trains and normal trains, offering more choices for passengers.

"We have strengthened communication and coordination with the customs department and optimized the inspection procedures to implement a rapid customs clearance and transfer mode. The Mohan port on the China-Laos border has seen the time for customs clearance reduced from more than 40 hours to less than five hours now," said Chen Pei, deputy general manager of the China Railway Kunming Bureau Group.

Now, 25 provincial regions in China have opened freight trains on the China-Laos railway, exporting products to a dozen countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes including Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore.

The number of categories of goods has increased from about 100 since the railway started operation to about 1,200 at present, the China Railway Kunming Bureau Group said.