Yunnan Province has successively launched two major measures in the field of open development. On March 25th, 2026, the Lancang Mekong Week was officially launched in Kunming, with 54 activities arranged around eight major areas to deepen cooperation with the five Mekong countries. On March 31st, Yunnan released a new policy to stabilize and improve the quality of foreign trade. It is expected that more than 800 new foreign trade enterprises will benefit from cost reduction, with a focus on cross-border e-commerce, industrial belt integration, and customs clearance convenience. These two actions indicate that Yunnan is accelerating its shift from a geographical periphery to an open hub, and the path of driving industrial upgrading through openness is becoming increasingly clear.

New Breakthrough of China Laos Railway

Since opening to traffic at the end of 2021, the China Laos Railway has become a golden channel for Yunnan's opening up. As of March 2026, the railway has transported over 80 million tons of goods, including more than 18 million tons of cross-border goods. Its freight network covers 19 countries and regions including Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The variety of cross-border goods has expanded from more than 10 in the initial stage of opening to over 3800.

This railway has significantly changed the geographical layout of Yunnan. Logistics costs have been reduced by 40% to 50% compared to highways, and the clearance time at the Mohan Railway Port has been significantly reduced. The Lancang Mekong Express and the China Laos Thailand Malaysia multimodal transport trains have achieved normalized operation. Relying on the China Laos Railway, Yunnan has upgraded from a simple transit channel to an international hub integrating logistics distribution and industrial agglomeration. By 2025, the total import and export volume of goods trade in Yunnan will reach 273.74 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%, with a growth rate 6.4 percentage points higher than the national average.

The new foreign trade policy precisely empowers small and medium-sized enterprises

The core idea of the new foreign trade policy released on March 31, 2026 is to achieve universal cost reduction and precise empowerment. The new policy comprehensively optimizes the support threshold for cross-border e-commerce and market procurement trade, and is expected to directly benefit more than 800 new small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises. More importantly, the policy accurately anchors the cross-border e-commerce plus industrial belt model, promoting the deep integration of openness and local industries.

The new policy focuses on reducing operating costs for enterprises, supporting key outward oriented industries, lowering financing costs, and enhancing international competitiveness. It provides full support for 35 key commodities including green aluminum, silicon photovoltaics, vegetables, flowers, and coffee. In the field of cross-border e-commerce, support policies such as talent cultivation and ecosystem construction have been added. In terms of market procurement and trade, we have innovatively launched a one-stop supervision model for customs and railway cooperation, achieving one-stop operations for cargo collection, security checks, and inspections. These measures have shifted the focus of openness from a passing economy to a locally rooted, self-sustaining economy.

Lancang Mekong Cooperation expands open space over the past decade

The Lancang Mekong Week, launched on March 25, 2026, coincides with the tenth anniversary of the first Lancang Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting. In the past decade, Yunnan Province has established 47 pairs of friendly cities with Mekong River countries, built 14 cross-border cables, and Mekong River countries have maintained Yunnan's position as the largest trading partner for a long time. By 2025, more than 8000 students from the five Mekong countries will study in Yunnan, and Yunnan will receive over one million visitors from the five countries throughout the year.

The 54 activities arranged this year cover eight major areas: political security, connectivity, production capacity cooperation, economic and trade technology, water resources, agricultural poverty reduction, public health, and cultural exchanges. These activities are not only specific measures to deepen the Lancang Mekong Cooperation, but also key layouts to transform the regional market into an increment of Yunnan's foreign trade. From the remote border blocked by mountains to the open hub connecting the inside and outside, Yunnan is continuously strengthening its channels, optimizing policies, and strengthening industries, paving the way for a characteristic path of high-level opening up and high-quality development in inland provinces.Editor/Gao Xue