On Thursday (January 26), a delegation from Thailand's railway and customs departments visited Laos. The two sides discussed ways to further strengthen cross-border transport cooperation, including cooperation with China's China-Laos-Thailand Railway. According to the Bangkok Post on January 29, the Ministry of Railway Transport (DRT) of Thailand said on Saturday that Thailand and Laos are negotiating on the China-Laos-Thailand railway connection plan, which may reduce the freight transport cost by 30% - 50% in the next three to five years. Thai officials said that the value of import and export trade at the Thai-Lao border checkpoint in Langkai Province in 2022 was 99.2 billion baht (about 20.46 billion yuan). Despite the impact of the COVID-19, compared with the previous year, Thailand's cross-border trade will still grow by 39.9% in 2022, and its income will increase by 28.2 billion Baht. The Thai government is currently developing Langkai Railway Station, which will become a cross-border goods inspection center in the future, connecting train and land transportation, and will also be used as a customs inspection station and logistics center. The Bangkok Post said that after the opening of the Thailand Laos railway network, it plans to operate 14 trains every day. This line will eventually be connected to the China Laos railway, improving the efficiency of international intermodal transport between China, Laos and Thailand. Since the China Laos Railway was put into operation on December 3, 2021, as of December 2 last year, it has sent 8.5 million passengers and 11.2 million tons of goods in a year. On October 6, 2022, when Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Anutin visited Laos, he led 120 members of the government delegation and media representatives to experience the China Laos railway and spoke highly of it. He hoped to strengthen cooperation with China and actively promote the construction of the China Thailand railway and the Laos Thailand connection line. On July 1, 2022, the Vientiane South Station transshipment yard was officially completed and put into use, realizing the connection between standard gauge and meter gauge, marking the further play of the role of China Laos Thailand railway interconnection and China Laos railway pan Asia channel. At present, the Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima Phase I project of the China-Thailand Railway has entered the comprehensive construction stage and is expected to be put into operation in 2027. The second phase of Nakhon Ratchasima Langkai project has been designed and is expected to start in 2024, which will link up with the China Laos railway. China, Laos and Thailand are stepping up negotiations and strive to put into use in 2028. (Xinhua News Agency)