STORY: Tracing Belt and Road stories along China-Laos Railway in Yunnan
DATELINE: Oct. 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:08:40
LOCATION: KUNMING, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHANTHARANGSONE PHOMSANH, Lao student at Kunming University of Science and Technology
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHUANCHAI PONGSAI, Thai agronomist with CP Seeds Tropical International Maize R&D Center
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LAMPHONE THIPMALA, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
4. various of the China-Laos Railway and passengers
5. various of street views of Kunming
6. STANDUP 1 (English): HUANG AIPING
7. various of the China-Laos Railway and passengers
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YANG JINGWEN, Head of Kunming South Railway Station, China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
9. various of the Kunming cargo terminal
10. STANDUP 2 (English): HUANG AIPING
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XU CHAO, Deputy general manager of China United International Rail Containers Co., Ltd. (CRIntermodal) Kunming Branch
12. various of Huang Aiping communicating with Lao students
13. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): CHANTHARANGSONE PHOMSANH, Lao student at Kunming University of Science and Technology
14. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LAMPHONE THIPMALA, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
15. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): SENGSULY BASYAOUK, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
16. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): WANG SHUHUA, Party chief, Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
17. various of mountains in Pu'er
18. STANDUP 3 (English): HUANG AIPING
19. various of coffee trees in Pu'er
20. STANDUP 4 (English): HUANG AIPING
21. various of coffee
22. SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): DENG JIALU, General manager, Yunnan Simao Beigui Coffee Co., Ltd.
23. SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): YANG FAN, Coffee shop owner in Pu'er
24. various of the natural scenery of Xishuangbanna
25. STANDUP 5 (English): HUANG AIPING
26. various of Lianwu, a Thai researcher with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS
27. SOUNDBITE 12 (English): LIANWU, Thai researcher with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS
28. various of Jose Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, a Spanish ecologist
29. SOUNDBITE 13 (English): JOSE AHIMSA CAMPOS-ARCEIZ, Spanish ecologist with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS
30. various of Chuanchai Pongsai, a Thai agronomist
31. SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): CHUANCHAI PONGSAI, Thai agronomist with CP Seeds Tropical International Maize R&D Center
32. various of Huang Aiping communicating with her interviewees in Yunnan
33. various of the China-Laos Railway and passengers

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHANTHARANGSONE PHOMSANH, Lao student at Kunming University of Science and Technology
"Easy and also convenient."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHUANCHAI PONGSAI, Thai agronomist with CP Seeds Tropical International Maize R&D Center
"Safe and punctual. It could facilitate more exchanges in trade, culture and scientific research."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LAMPHONE THIPMALA, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
"We can eat rice noodles in Kunming in the morning, and drink coffee in Laos in the evening."

The China-Laos Railway has been a hit in this region.

What is it like to travel by this train and how convenient is it? What changes will it bring to people in Laos, China and other countries?

I decided to hop on the train, experience for myself and visit some international friends along the way to explore what opportunities and possibilities the China-Laos Railway has brought to their lives under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

STANDUP 1 (English): HUANG AIPING
"Kunming is the capital city of China's Yunnan Province. The northern end of the China-Laos Railway is also located in this beautiful 'Spring City.'"

As a landmark project under the BRI, the China-Laos Railway began operation in December 2021 and launched cross-border passenger service in April 2023. The 1,035-km railway reduces travel time between Kunming and Vientiane to around 10 hours.

Since the launch of its passenger services, the China-Laos Railway has handled over 50,000 cross-border passenger trips in four months.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YANG JINGWEN, Head of Kunming South Railway Station, China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
"I'm very honored to witness the opening of the China-Laos Railway. In the waiting hall, we can see more and more international faces every day. The launch of the China-Laos Railway not only achieves physical connectivity between the two countries, but also builds a bridge of emotional connection between the two peoples."

STANDUP 2 (English): HUANG AIPING
"This is actually the departure station of the freight trains between China and Laos. So these containers are loaded with goods from many Southeast Asian nations, and it takes only about 26 hours to transport them from Vientiane, Laos' capital, to here, Kunming."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XU CHAO, Deputy general manager of China United International Rail Containers Co., Ltd. (CRIntermodal) Kunming Branch
"Since the China-Laos Railway was put into operation, the freight volume dispatched from the Kunming cargo terminal has increased by about 20 percent. The variety of goods being transported has also been continuously expanding. There has been a significant reduction in logistics costs. Taking Thailand as an example, sea shipments used to take 7 to 10 days. But now, goods can arrive in Thailand from Kunming in as little as three days."

The railway has also opened up new opportunities for many aspiring Lao youngsters.

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): CHANTHARANGSONE PHOMSANH, Lao student at Kunming University of Science and Technology
"It's the first time for me to take the train from my country to China and it's more convenient than before.
Before, we called Laos a land-locked country. But now we have the railway, so we call Laos a 'land-linked' country. The cooperation between Laos and China now is becoming better and better."

Lamphone Thipmala and 39 others just finished their 18-month-long study at the Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College and became the first teachers in Laos' first railway vocational and technical college, which China assisted in building.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LAMPHONE THIPMALA, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
"I previously worked as a translator, but because of this railway, I began to learn about railway transportation, which has significantly changed my life."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): SENGSULY BASYAOUK, Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
"I studied electric power technology in Laos. As the China-Laos Railway was launched, I hope I can help my country train more railway-related power supply professionals in the future."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): WANG SHUHUA, Party chief, Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College
"Our goal is to cultivate the first batch of Lao teachers on railway transportation for this "friendship railway." I believe that they not only returned with expertise in railway operations but also became 'envoys of friendship' thanks to the connectivity brought by the China-Laos Railway."

STANDUP 3 (English): HUANG AIPING
"I'm now on the China-Laos Railway on my way from Kunming to Pu'er City."

Once a major station on the ancient Tea Horse Road, Pu'er is now an important stop on the China-Laos Railway.

STANDUP 4 (English): HUANG AIPING
"This is one of the most famous tea growing and producing areas in China. However, now Pu'er is gaining popularity because of another refreshing drink, coffee. And it's been putting coffee trade on track with other countries involved in the joint construction of the BRI."

In 2022, the coffee planting area in Pu'er reached 679,000 mu (about 45,266.67 hectares), and the output value of the coffee industry exceeded 5 billion yuan (about 684.80 million USD).

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): DENG JIALU, General manager, Yunnan Simao Beigui Coffee Co., Ltd.
"The BRI and the China-Laos Railway have been beneficial for our coffee business. Over the past year, we have seen an increasing number of foreign customers. In the beginning, they didn't know China produces coffee, but now they have realized that China grows high-quality coffee. An increasing number of people have been attracted here."

SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): YANG FAN, Coffee shop owner in Pu'er
"Now that the China-Laos Railway has been put into operation, plantations in Indonesia are now seeking collaboration with us. We can export the products by railway to Laos, which will then be transported to ports. There, the goods will be shipped to Indonesia."

STANDUP 5 (English): HUANG AIPING
"Known as the 'kingdom of plants and animals,' Xishuangbanna plays an important role in global biodiversity conservation, and has a strong appeal to tourists, nature lovers, and of course, experts and researchers from many parts of the world."

Lianwu is a researcher from Thailand.

She's currently studying tropical plants at the botanical garden.

SOUNDBITE 12 (English): LIANWU, Thai researcher with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS
"I came in 2016 as a master's student. China is a land of opportunity. When I came here at first, I felt like, wow, here is a huge botanical garden for tropical forests and also tropical flora and fauna. Now because the Belt and Road has built a network for many countries, so this is important, also gives the opportunity to many researchers to work on this."

In 2020, a herd of wild Asian elephants trekking about 500 km northward from Xishuangbanna caught global attention.

Jose Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz is one of the "elephant chasers" focusing on avoiding human-elephant conflicts.

SOUNDBITE 13 (English): JOSE AHIMSA CAMPOS-ARCEIZ, Spanish ecologist with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS
"I study very big animals, and I study how important they are for ecosystems, how's their interaction with people.
The BRI brings leverage. We can work with other countries in Central Asia or Southeast Asia to build trans-boundary conservation projects. So then I want to see this having an overall positive impact in the future."

Chuanchai Pongsai, a Thai agronomist, came to China in 2001.

Since then, he has been doing research on maize breeding in the country.

SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): CHUANCHAI PONGSAI, Thai agronomist with CP Seeds Tropical International Maize R&D Center
"The Chinese market is very promising. As my profession revolves around breeding and scientific research, the BRI has been providing more opportunities for exchanges and sharing of experiences. This contributes to the global development of maize breeding."

During my journey across Yunnan, I witnessed firsthand how the China-Laos Railway has facilitated economic and cultural exchanges, injecting new vitality into countries involved in the joint construction of the BRI.

Down the railway, I also immersed myself in the vibrant coffee industry in Pu'er, where coffee serves as a bridge, integrating into people's daily lives.

And in Xishuangbanna, in the southernmost part of Yunnan, I was amazed by the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.

The philosophy of people-centered growth of the BRI has left an indelible mark on my journey.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kunming, China.
(XHTV)