Containers on the first banana train heading to China via the China-Laos Railway are seen at the Vientiane South Station in Vientiane, Laos on Dec. 6, 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The China-Laos Railway has transported over 4 million tons of cargo since it was put into operation in 2021, the Lao local media said.

Since the railway opened in December 2021, freight trains had carried 4,097,300 tons of imported and exported goods, the Lao News Agency (KPL) reported on Thursday.

Of this amount, about 3,450,000 tons were shipped from Laos to China and 650,900 tons from China to Laos.

Goods shipped from Laos to China mostly comprised rubber, iron ore, zinc ore, lime, fruit, potato flour and barley. Meanwhile, products ferried from China to Laos included electrical equipment, spare part and household goods.

In the first five months of 2023, 1,580,680 tons of freight were shipped from Laos to China, and 160,910 tons of goods were ferried from China to Laos.

Photo taken on Jan. 2, 2023 shows a Lane Xang EMU train running on the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway.(Photo by Yang Yongquan/Xinhua)

Business operators in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar are using the China-Laos Railway to ship goods to and from China and beyond, according to the report.

Thailand is shipping increasing amounts of freight to China by rail, mainly agricultural produce. The time taken to ship goods by rail is three days, much faster than the previous transport route by road.

The China-Laos Railway, a landmark project showcasing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, began operation in December 2021. The 1,035-km cross-border railway connects southwest China's Kunming with the Lao capital Vientiane.