Photo taken on July 29, 2022 shows containers at a railway freight center in Wuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Launched in 2017, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provinces and ASEAN countries. Photo: Xinhua

A cross-border cold-chain freight train arrived in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, on Monday, completing its first heavily-loaded return trip via the China-Laos-Thailand railway. This accomplishment further strengthens the connection between China and Southeast Asian countries, China Media Group reported on Monday.  

Transporting 414 tons of Thai durian, the freight train departed from Thailand and carried out a series of tasks, including customs declaration, transfer from meter-gauge to standard-gauge rail, and international settlement in Vientiane, Laos.

The train's arrival in Guangzhou highlights the deepening cooperation between China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It also signifies the normal operation of heavily-loaded trains on both sides of the railway network, the report said.

The first China-Laos-Thailand cold-chain freight train originating from the GBA departed from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on April 21, 2022. It carried a total of 1,120 tons of malt, vegetables, and candies, according to the local Guangzhou Daily. The train can reach Laos in five days and Thailand in seven days.

On January 12, 2023, the number of China-Laos-Thailand freight trains starting from the GBA reached 100 since its first departure on December 3, 2021. The total cargo volume facilitated via the railway route amounted to 10,157 tons, covering over 30 item categories such as grains, home appliances, machinery, and furniture, China News Agency reported.  

Guangdong Province is one of China's manufacturing and foreign trade hubs, which generated 1.22 trillion yuan ($176.93 billion) of exports in the first quarter of 2023, up 6.2 percent year-on-year. ASEAN remained Guangdong's top trade partner during this period, with bilateral trade volume reaching 313.7 billion yuan, up 10.6 percent year-on-year, as shown by customs data.

Global Times