Nanning International Railway Port in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Photo: CCTV News

Upgraded from tri-weekly services to daily regular departures, China-Vietnam cross-border freight trains have achieved a notable recovery in cargo transportation, injecting strong momentum into booming China-ASEAN trade.

Cross-border cargo transportation between China and Vietnam has recovered steadily. According to the China Railway Nanning Bureau, China-Vietnam freight trains departing from South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region delivered 8,940 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export cargo in the second quarter, up 13.5 percent quarter-on-quarter.

In the first half of the year, the export volume reached 16,816 TEUs, effectively bolstering bilateral economic and trade exchanges, China Media Group reported on Tuesday.

Driven by policy dividends of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, bilateral trade between the two countries has expanded continuously, driving robust demand for cross-border railway transport. 

Outbound shipments cover 508 categories including electronic products, mechanical equipment, chemical products, agricultural and sideline products, and daily necessities, while inbound goods consist of 180 categories dominated by ASEAN fresh fruits such as durian, mangosteen and coconut. 

ASEAN fresh fruit imports were a highlight of cross-border transport in the first half. To meet the strict requirements for freshness and timeliness of perishable goods, China Railway Nanning Bureau has collaborated with customs authorities to build a multi-party coordination mechanism featuring data connectivity, operational coordination and mutual regulatory recognition. The optimized clearance procedures shorten the whole processing cycle for fresh cargo to just two hours, greatly improving transport efficiency.

China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for years. In the first half of 2026, bilateral trade stood at 4.34 trillion yuan ($640 trillion), up 18.2 percent year-on-year. Second-quarter trade hit 2.37 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.2 percent, marking 10 consecutive quarters of growth, data from the General Administration of Customs(GAC) showed Tuesday.

Sustained trade expansion fully demonstrates the fruitful achievements of China-ASEAN regional economic integration, said Lü Daliang, director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of the GAC.

Improved infrastructure connectivity has consolidated cross-border logistics support for bilateral trade. With the accelerated construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, innovative logistics models — such as the integration of the China-Laos Railway and the China-Europe Railway Express, as well as parallel port operation models — have been fully implemented, greatly improving the efficiency of cross-border logistics channels, Lü said.

"The enhanced cross-border connectivity brought by the China-Laos Railway has substantially shortened transportation times," Lucky Million Elephants Sole Co, an enterprise in Laos that promotes high-quality ancient tree tea to the Chinese market, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The smoother cross-border transport network also facilitates two-way people-to-people exchanges, enabling more Chinese tourists to experience Laos' natural scenery and local culture while bringing greater travel convenience to Lao residents, creating a more favorable environment for steady China-Laos commodity trade and regional economic cooperation, the company said. 

In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN via the New Western Land-Sea Corridor grew by 18.2 percent, with railway transportation up 24.7 percent and highway transportation up 17.5 percent, according to the GAC.