The China-Laos Railway has become a key transport route for durian, moving 150,000 tons of the fruit into China so far this year, according to China Railway Kunming Group. As of August 26, the volume represented a 91% year-on-year increase, Xinhua reported.
During peak season, daily transfers are carried out at the Hongyun International Logistics Port near Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. Around 18 tons of durian can be shifted from containers to trucks in less than 40 minutes, supplying nearby markets.
"Through the China-Laos Railway's Lancang-Mekong Express, goods can be delivered from Vientiane, Laos, to Kunming in just 26 hours," said Ou Daoqing, head of the marketing department at Kunming International Land Port.
Since its opening on December 3, 2021, the railway has served as a logistics link between China and ASEAN. Prior to its construction, durians from Southeast Asia reached China by road or sea, routes that were more vulnerable to delays and higher levels of fruit damage.
"The China-Laos Railway has significantly reduced both the damage rate and transportation costs for imported durian," said Wang Hao, general manager of a Chinese trading company, as cited by Xinhua.
Railroad integration has also expanded distribution. Five combined routes now connect Laos with Sichuan Province, enabling fruit to move further into Chinese markets. A recent cold-chain train carried nearly 300 tons of durian from Vientiane to Sichuan, where the fruit was then dispatched to Beijing, Xi'an, Lhasa, and Guangzhou.
The China-Laos Railway has handled more than 60 million tons of goods as of May, The Laotian Times reported. Its freight portfolio has expanded from 10 categories at launch to more than 3,000 today.
China remains the largest global market for durian. Imports totaled nearly US$7 billion in 2024, sourced primarily from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Source: VNExpress