ASEAN Beat

China, Laos to Build $6 Billion Railway by 2020

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ASEAN Beat

China, Laos to Build $6 Billion Railway by 2020

Beijing and Vientiane seal a much-awaited deal.

China, Laos to Build $6 Billion Railway by 2020
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

China aims to complete the long-awaited construction of a multibillion-dollar, high-speed rail project from southwestern China to Laos by 2020 as part of Beijing’s efforts to link itself to Southeast Asian markets, official sources confirmed over the weekend.

The two countries agreed Friday to build a 40-billion yuan ($6.28 billion), 418-kilometer railway from Kunming, the capital of southwestern China’s Yunnan province, to the Laotian capital of Vientiane, the official China Economic Herald reported following a signing ceremony attended by the National Development and Reform Commission, China Railway Corporation, and Export-Import Bank of China.

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