Over 1 mln tonnes of goods transported on China-Laos Railway

KUNMING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The total volume of imported and exported goods transported via the China-Laos Railway has reached 1.02 million tonnes since the railway's opening eight months ago, with total worth of about 9.14 billion yuan (about 1.35 billion U.S. dollars).

Customs of Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, said Tuesday that the customs handled 1,996 international freight trains along the railway during the period.

"After the opening of the China-Laos Railway, the variety of the company's imports and exports increased," said Zhang Xianzhou, manager of an international logistics company based in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan.

The company's business volume increased, while the customs clearance time was significantly reduced, Zhang said.

Kunming customs said it has rolled out a series of efforts to guarantee the efficient operation of international freight trains on the China-Laos Railway. These measures include optimizing supervision measures and improving port functions.

As a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the 1,035-km China-Laos Railway connects China's Kunming with the Laotian capital Vientiane.