At 9 a.m. on December 21, the 79565 train was fully loaded with 70 TEUs of export goods and departed from Jinhua South Railway Station. The train will reach the capital of Laos traveling via the China-Laos Railway and marks the first international freight train on the China-Laos Railway departing from Jinhua. The freight train is loaded with export goods such as agricultural machinery products, daily necessities, small household appliances, and the like, totaling a value of nearly two million U.S. dollars. Exiting China through Mohan Railway Port, Yunnan, the train will cover a total length of 3,327 kilometers over four days.

The Jinhua-Vientiane international freight railway is the 17th line operated by Jinhua. It is also the second China-Laos railway operating line opened in Zhejiang Province after the Yiwu-Vientiane international freight train was opened. The opening of these lines will further widen the range of Zhejiang international freight trains, diversify the layout of overseas routes, and open up new foreign trade channels for local enterprises.

“The new line from Jinhua to Vientiane has solved the problems associated with exporting ‘Made in Zhejiang’ products in large quantities to the hinterland of the Indochina Peninsula. The train line has advantages like being operative in all kinds of weather, allowing transportation of large quantities of goods, reaching its destination in a relatively short time, and involving a limited number of personnel. A winning new choice for international logistics,” said Luo Jianyuan, executive deputy general manager of Mid-Zhejiang International Logistics.

The China-Laos Railway connects with the Silk Road Economic Belt in the north, with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the south, and faces the Yangtze River Economic Belt to the east. This railway is crucial infrastructure to integrate and serve the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and promote the interconnection between China and neighboring countries. (By Zhou Xuan, translated by Marco Lovisetto, edited by Mariam Ayad)