Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – A freight train loaded with Lao bananas successfully arrived in Chongqing, China, marking a significant milestone in Sino-Lao bilateral trade. This is the first shipment of goods transported entirely via a dedicated railway system between the two countries, opening a new and efficient channel for Southeast Asian agricultural products to enter Chongqing.
The bananas transported comprised five 40-foot containers, with a total net weight of 85.5 tons. The train departed from Vientiane, Laos, entered China through the Mohan railway port in Yunnan Province, and traveled north to Chongqing. After passing customs inspection, the bananas were quickly distributed to fruit wholesale markets in Chongqing and surrounding areas, directly reaching consumers.
Importers stated that the scale of this shipment directly reflects the continuously rising demand in the Chinese market for high-quality Southeast Asian fruits. Lao bananas, with their stable supply, excellent flavor, and high cost-performance ratio, are widely favored by Chinese consumers, and imports have steadily increased in recent years. The implementation of dedicated railway transportation will further broaden their entry channels into Chongqing.
The newly launched dedicated railway transport model integrates multiple optimization measures, including temperature-controlled preservation, real-time dynamic tracking, and simplified logistics processes. This not only effectively reduces cargo transportation losses but also significantly compresses logistics costs—compared to traditional road transport, overall logistics costs, including loading and unloading, are reduced by 16%, balancing efficiency and effectiveness.
To ensure the efficient and smooth flow of imported fruits, Chongqing Customs, within the framework of the new international land-sea trade corridor, has implemented a pilot project for inspection and quarantine, precisely addressing bottlenecks in customs clearance. Simultaneously, it has strengthened collaboration with Kunming Customs and Chongqing Railway authorities, providing specialized guidance on key aspects such as compliance supervision, supplier verification, and quarantine permit applications, comprehensively improving customs clearance facilitation.
Zhao Kai, Deputy Director of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Division of Chongqing Customs, stated that the China-Laos Railway, as an important component of the new international land-sea trade corridor, demonstrates significant advantages in transportation efficiency, reliability, and environmental friendliness, rapidly becoming the preferred channel for transporting Southeast Asian agricultural products to Chongqing, continuously empowering the improvement and efficiency of bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Laos.
