The China-Laos-Thailand tripartite cooperation that focuses on the railway sector will give a substantive boost to sub-regional development in the future, and the railway network will increasingly function as a golden route for international logistics, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

China will work with Laos and Thailand to accelerate construction and ensure sound operation and maintenance so that the railway connecting the three countries will be a source of welfare for people in the region and contribute even more to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing.

Since its official launch a year ago, the China-Laos Railway has opened 24 cargo and passenger stations along the route, handled over 8.5 million passenger trips and transported 11.2 million metric tons of freight. The categories of goods it transports have increased from a dozen to more than 1,200, which is truly impressive, Mao said.

Noting that on December 3, the first special cold-chain train for fruit transportation running along the China-Laos Railway was officially launched, the spokesperson said that quality agricultural and food products from Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian nations can now enjoy the benefit of convenient customs clearance and large-scale cross-border freight transportation of the China-Laos Railway, and safer, faster distribution to the Chinese market.

In the meantime, as the construction of the China-Thailand Railway moves ahead with solid progress, the China-Laos Railway is forging greater connectivity with Thailand’s railway system at a faster rate and an artery running through the Indo-China Peninsula is taking shape, the spokesperson added.

China will work with Laos and Thailand to follow through on what has been agreed at the leaders’ level, accelerate construction and ensure sound operation and maintenance so that the railway connecting the three countries will be a source of welfare for people in the region and contribute even more to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Mao added.