China-Laos Railway puts travel, trade on fast track

STORY: China-Laos Railway puts travel, trade on fast track DATELINE: Dec. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:57 LOCATION: KUNMING, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the China-Laos Railway 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Lao): KINGKEO DUANGPHANAM, Passenger 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Lao): VIXAY NIENSIPHON, Passenger 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Thai): THANYART AREEYAT, Tour guide 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XU CHAO, Deputy general manager of the Kunming branch of China United International Rail Containers Co., Ltd. 6. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): YANG JIE, Shanghai Rencheng Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. STORYLINE: As of Friday, the China-Laos Railway has handled over 8.5 million passenger trips and transported 11.2 million tonnes of cargo since its launch a year ago. That's according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in Yunnan Province with the Laotian capital Vientiane. The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021. The rail