Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, also general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, jointly witnessed the opening of the China-Laos railway via video link on the morning of December 3.

　　Xi pointed out that the China-Laos railway is a flagship project of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. The opening of the railway facilitates transport between China’s Kunming and Laos’ Vientiane. He called on the two sides to make further efforts to facilitate the operations of the railway, so as to promote development along the route and build a “golden line” that benefits both peoples. 

　　Xi also stressed that the railway is a milestone for high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In recent years, with an aim to achieve high-standard, sustainable development and benefit the people, China has constantly advanced the construction of the Belt and Road and achieved win-win cooperation with other participating countries, opening new space for global economic development. China is willing to work together with other BRI countries including Laos to build closer BRI partnerships and accelerate the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

　　Sisoulith noted that the China-Laos railway is a strategic project docking Laos’ strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub with the BRI. Calling it a major milestone in Laos’ modern infrastructure construction, he said that the railway will significantly boost Laos’ economic and social development. Laos stands ready to work with China to promote the operation and maintenance of the railway, so as to bring greater benefits to both countries and peoples and make contributions to regional connectivity, development and prosperity.

　　Chen Wenjian, president of CREC, and representatives from CREC International and other companies participating in the construction of the railway, attended the ceremony in Kunming, at which they listened to the important speeches delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith.　

　　CREC representatives attend the opening of the China-Laos railways at the Kunming station in China and the Vientiane station in Laos, respectively.

　　The China-Laos railway is a strategic docking project between the China-proposed BRI and Laos’ strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. It is also the first international railway project mainly invested, constructed and operated by China and directly connecting to China’s railway network. Since the very beginning, the project has drawn wide attention from leaders and the public of both countries.

　　A bullet train runs on an ultra-large bridge over the Mekong River, built by China Railway No. 8 Engineering Group (CREC-8) in Luang Prabang, Laos. 

　　As the main force for the construction of the China-Laos railway, CREC took advantage of leveraged its competitive forces, advanced techniques, and rich experience in building railroads in southwestern China’s mountainous regions with complicated geological conditions, and adopted science-based, holistic engineering approaches to construct a high-standard, high-quality railway. In this way, it made the China-Laos railway a landmark project of the BRI and bilateral friendship. Nearly 20 CREC subsidiaries, including CREEGE, China Railway Wuhan Electrification Bureau, CREC No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4, No.5, No.6, No.8, and No.10, China Railway Tunnel Group, China Railway Electrification Engineering Group, China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Group, China Railway Shanghai Engineering Group, CREC International, China Railway Engineering Design and Consulting Group, China Railway Research Institute, and China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Co., Ltd., participated in the surveying, design, electrification construction, track-laying and other key tasks in the construction of the railway.