Soundly operating China-Laos Railway top on agenda, says Chinese ambassador

VIENTIANE, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- After the China-Laos Railway was opened to traffic, a sound operation and maintenance is now top on the agenda, Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong said Monday.

He made the remarks when interviewed via video link by Chinese and Lao media in the Lao capital Vientiane over implementing the important consensus reached between the top leaders of the two countries.

Jiang stressed that as comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, China and Laos have been at the forefront in jointly constructing the Belt and Road, boasting fruitful cooperation and broad prospects.

The China-Laos Railway is an important milestone in the construction of modern infrastructure in Laos, with the Lao people bidding farewell to a history without trains.

The Chinese ambassador said the urgent task after the railway was opened to traffic is to do a good job in operating and maintaining the railway, strengthening epidemic prevention and security measures, to enable safe travels.

He urged both sides to speed up the comprehensive development along the railway route in order to achieve profitability and sustainable development at an early date.

In addition, the two sides should work for establishing a connection to the Thai railway, pushing for construction of a trans-Asian railway network as well as integration into the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Jiang said that both China and Laos should make good use of not only the China-Laos railway, but also the fast track of the Global Development Initiative China proposed in September.

The Chinese side will work with the Lao authorities to jointly find the areas and key projects for cooperation with a synergy between the Global Development Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative, helping build a global development community with a shared future, and improve Laos' capacity for independent development.

The China-Laos Railway was opened to traffic on Dec. 3. The 1,035-km electrified passenger and cargo railway, connecting Kunming city in southwestern China to the Lao capital Vientiane, is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.