China Laos Railway provides new opportunities for cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia

■ Interviewee: Luo Shengrong, Researcher of the "the Belt and Road" Research Institute of Yunnan University/Regional Country Research Institute

Laos National Radio reported that China Laos Railway has actively tried and innovated in exploring new modes of international transportation such as "Lancang Mekong Express+cross-border e-commerce business", injecting new vitality and hope into regional economic prosperity.

"The China Laos Railway has become an important channel for the cross-border export of Thai goods." Japan's Nikkei Asia reported that Laos Thailand cross-border railway passenger trains were put into operation this year, achieving a "seamless connection" with the China Laos Railway. Although Thailand and China do not border each other, railways have connected China, Laos, and Thailand, promoting cross-border logistics and trade.

In the Laos section of the China Laos Railway, there are two trains: train K12 from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to Boten every morning; In the afternoon, the K11 train departed from Modin and headed towards Vientiane. Before the departure of both trains, the staff will move the express boxes filled with goods into the carriages.

On February 20 this year, Lao China Railway Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the operation of the Laos section of the China Laos Railway, opened the express transportation business in the local area for the first time. The train transported express goods back and forth between Vientiane and Boten, realizing the "delivery on the same day" of "zero, bulk and small" goods, and has delivered about 940000 pieces of express goods accumulatively. This new business brings opportunities for the development of the e-commerce industry in Laos.

This is a microcosm of the strong "cargo carrying" strength of the China Laos Railway. As of December 2 this year, the China Laos railway has transported 48.3 million tons of goods in total, and the types of cross-border transportation commodities have expanded from the original 500 to the current 3000.

Since the China Laos Railway was opened to traffic for three years, it has significantly reduced the transportation cost and time cost of intra regional trade, provided strong support for the development of cross-border e-commerce, and stimulated the growth of trade activities. Previously, Laos' high value-added agricultural products had small export scales and high losses due to transportation restrictions. After the opening of the China Laos Railway, the timeliness of transportation has been greatly improved. Agricultural goods can take the cold chain to enter the e-commerce platform. At the same time, China's various industrial manufactures can also be transported to Laos more efficiently.

At present, the China Laos railway has become an important supplement to the transportation network in Southeast Asia, forming an effective connection with highway, water transportation and other transportation modes, building a three-dimensional transportation system, and providing diversified options for cross-border e-commerce logistics. In Vientiane, Laos, the close cooperation between China Laos railway and road transportation improves the flexibility and timeliness of cargo transportation, reduces logistics costs and improves operational efficiency.

China Laos Railway is striving to build a cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, actively applying for the China (Xishuangbanna) cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, and building a cross-border e-commerce supervision workplace of Mohan Port International Express Supervision Center. Some cities along the railway in Laos have also established economic zones and industrial parks, attracting numerous Chinese and other national enterprises to settle in. The accelerated construction of logistics parks and warehousing centers, as well as the continuous improvement of infrastructure along the route, provide a better development environment for cross-border e-commerce enterprises.

With the continuous release of the "golden line" effect of the China Laos railway, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Cambodia also participate in railway cooperation, forming a broader "trade circle". In the past three years, the cross-border freight transport of China Laos railway has spread to 19 countries and regions such as Thailand and Vietnam. Active cross-border trade is conducive to promoting the optimal allocation of regional resources and improving economic efficiency.

In the future, the China Laos railway has broad prospects for development in international railway intermodal transport. China Laos Railway is actively exploring new modes of international transportation such as "Lancang Mekong Express+cross-border e-commerce", "China Laos Railway+China Europe Train", "China Laos Railway+Western New Land Sea Channel Train", opening and operating China Laos and China Vietnam international cold chain freight trains, and constantly improving cross-border transportation capacity.

Relying on the transportation capacity of the China Laos railway, the regional cross-border e-commerce cooperation is expected to continue to be promoted in many aspects. In terms of agricultural cooperation, it is expected to carry out brand cooperation for agricultural products in the region, create distinctive, organic, and green agricultural product brands based on international market demand, and promote them to the international market through cross-border e-commerce; In terms of service industry cooperation and innovation, the China Laos Railway is expected to integrate natural scenery, historical culture and folk customs resources along the line, promote the deep integration of cross-border e-commerce and tourism, and launch special tourism products through cross-border e-commerce platforms.