China-Laos Railway handles over 50 million tons of goods

A freight train fully loaded with goods departed from Kunming City of southwest China's Yunnan Province for Laos on Thursday, marking a new milestone for the China-Laos Railway which has transported over 50 million tons of cargo since its launch in 2021, according to China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The railway has transported a total of 11.58 million tons of cross-border cargo.

Since its operation, the railway department has introduced innovative services like the "Lancang-Mekong Express."

The express service utilizes dedicated freight trains capable of reaching speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, a speed much faster than traditional international freight train operations.

Over 1,670 trains featuring this service have been operated to date.

Meanwhile, collaboration among railway, customs, and border check agencies in China and Laos has greatly enhanced the management at the Mohan railway port, cutting clearance time for goods imports by 60 percent and exports by 90 percent.

"We have deeply explored the potential of China-Laos Railway, promoted innovative models such as advance declaration of inbound goods and 'rapid customs clearance for rail service'. We have implemented reforms of 'single document regime' for multimodal transport, and railway waybill financing. By introducing cutting-edge technologies like 5G, Beidou, and AI, we have created a digital and intelligent freight yard, significantly enhancing the efficiency of loading and unloading operations," said Tao Qiang, deputy director of the freight department under China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

China-Laos Railway handles over 50 million tons of goods

China-Laos Railway handles over 50 million tons of goods

The sales revenue of consumer goods under the policy-backed trade-in program in 2024 surpassed 15.91 billion yuan (about 2.17 billion U.S. dollars) in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to data from the Xinjiang Regional Commerce Department.

In a significant push to stimulate consumer spending, China rolled out an expansive trade-in policy across multiple sectors earlier last year. From automobiles and home appliances to real estate, the initiative aims to encourage the replacement of outdated goods with newer and more advanced options.

Over the past year, customers in Xinjiang enjoyed a total subsidy of 1.93 billion yuan (about 263.78 million U.S. dollars) under the trade-in policy for buying products such as cars, home appliances, bathroom and kitchen products and electric bicycles.

Data from the Xinjiang Regional Commerce Department show that by the end of 2024, a total of 90,000 vehicle trade-in applications had been submitted across the region. Under the trade-in program, the sales of home appliances reached 466,000 units, sales of bathroom and kitchen products reached 93,700 items and the sales of electric bicycles reached 33,200 units.

"I received a subsidy of over 900 yuan (about 123 U.S. dollars) when I bought a 4,000-yuan (about 546 U.S. dollar) refrigerator. Now, I'm planning to buy a new fridge for my parents," said Yao Shujun, a local resident.

The Regional Commerce Department has announced that the trade-in subsidy policies will be extended in 2025 in an effort to boost consumption.

Trade-in program boosts consumption in northwest China's Xinjiang