A cargo train runs along the China-Laos Railway. File photo: Courtesy of China Railway Kunming Group

Trade via the China-Laos Railway surpassed 20 billion yuan ($2.96 billion) in the first seven months of the year, up 29.9 percent year-on-year, customs data showed. The infrastructure project is further expanding its spillover effects on trade and cooperation among ASEAN members.

As the railway continues to serve as a new engine for regional economic connectivity, the cross-border infrastructure project is expanding its cargo portfolio and injecting fresh momentum into trade and development across ASEAN economies, Chinese analysts said.

Since its launch in 2021, the railway has handled more than 94 billion yuan worth of cross-border cargo, with the range of transported goods expanding from more than 10 categories at the initial stage of operation to more than 3,900, including new-energy vehicles (NEVs), tropical fruits, temperate vegetables and traditional Chinese medicine. 

The line connects 19 countries and regions and provides sustained momentum for regional trade cooperation, the data showed. 

To date, the China-Laos Railway has served more than 7,000 foreign trade operators in China.

In recent months, as ASEAN members enter the peak season for fruit exports via the China-Laos Railway, agricultural products from countries along the route are gaining wider access to the Chinese market, while advanced Chinese industrial products are emerging as new drivers of cross-border trade growth, with the cargo mix continuously evolving to better meet market demand.

In the first half of 2026, imports of tropical fruits via the China-Laos Railway totaled 4.22 billion yuan, up 25.8 percent year-on-year, according to customs data cited by the Xinhua News Agency on July 22.

Foreign trade of NEVs, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products via the railway totaled 2.14 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, up 348.5 percent year-on-year, emerging as a new highlight of cross-border trade growth, the report showed.

The continued expansion of cargo categories reflects the transformation of the corridor from a single-purpose cross-border transport route into a key link connecting regional industrial chains.

The differentiated two-way trade structure reflects the complementary strengths of economies along the route, matching their resource advantages and industrial needs, Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times. 

"Combined with multimodal transport services and streamlined customs measures, the China-Laos Railway has evolved beyond a cross-border transport route into a practical platform for resource complementarity, industrial coordination, and greater connectivity among Lancang-Mekong countries," Bian added.

Global Times