Since its opening and operation on April 13, 2023, the China Laos Railway has become a golden corridor connecting China and Southeast Asia, bringing about increasingly significant cross-border mobility and cultural exchange effects. The latest data shows that this steel Silk Road has not only achieved remarkable results in freight transportation, but also delivered an impressive performance in international passenger transportation, especially the attractiveness of visa free entry policies is accelerating.

Strong growth in passenger transport data

As of December 31, 2025, more than 2800 cross-border trains have been inspected by the international passenger trains of the China Laos Railway, and the total number of entry-exit passengers from 123 countries and regions in the world has exceeded 710000. Among them, there were over 55000 foreign nationals and 24000 foreign tourists who entered through visa free policies, injecting strong impetus into international personnel exchanges.

Focusing on the just passed year of 2025, the growth momentum is even more rapid. A total of over 290000 inbound and outbound personnel were inspected throughout the year, covering 110 countries and regions. The number of foreign nationals exceeded 50000, a significant increase of over 34% year-on-year. Of particular note is that over 13400 foreign nationals entered the country without a visa, with a year-on-year growth rate of up to 48%, becoming the core factor driving passenger flow growth. From the perspective of customer source structure, the number of Laotian, Thai, and Malaysian tourists ranks among the top three, and the main reasons for entry are sightseeing, conference business, and visiting relatives and friends, fully reflecting the diverse value of railways in promoting regional tourism, economic and cultural exchanges.

Continuous optimization of border inspection services

Faced with the continuously increasing passenger flow, the Mohan Entry Exit Border Inspection Station has taken a series of innovative measures to ensure smooth, fast, and orderly customs clearance at the port. The border inspection department continuously innovates its service mode, optimizes police force allocation and customs clearance processes, and has launched more than ten convenient and beneficial measures for the people.

These measures include providing online booking customs clearance services for inbound tourist groups, implementing 24-hour barrier free customs clearance, and opening special channels along the the Belt and Road and visa free special channels. In addition, flexible consultation mobile stations are also set up on site, and digital services such as online application for foreigner entry cards are implemented, greatly simplifying the entry and exit procedures for passengers and improving the customs clearance experience. These refined and humanized services ensure that every passenger, whether foreign tourists enjoying visa free policies or professionals engaged in business exchanges, can feel an efficient and convenient customs clearance environment, providing a solid service support for the long-term prosperity of the international passenger transport of China Laos Railway. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, the Belt and Road latest information

With the acceleration of regional economic integration and the deepening of cross-border tourism cooperation, as an important international transport corridor, the function of the passenger corridor of the China Laos Railway is constantly strengthening. The continuous growth of visa free entry data is not only a direct reflection of policy dividends, but also indicates that this railway will play an increasingly crucial role in promoting people to people exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.Editor/Cheng Liting