Depth report

　　

From Kunming, take the Lancang train south along the China-Laos railway, crossing rolling mountains, lush trees and sparkling rivers into neighboring Laos. The train's first stop is Boten, the northern gate of Laos.

Eye-catching Chinese characters, exquisite Chinese products, friendly Chinese faces... Walking on the streets of Botin, you can see various Chinese elements everywhere. Boten is located in Luang Namthar Province of Laos, connected with China's Mohan-Boten port. Under the macro-policy of the Chinese and Laotian governments, as part of the China-Laos Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone, the special economic zone has made a comprehensive plan to build four industrial clusters: international business and finance, international bonded logistics and processing, international education and medical care, and international cultural tourism and vacation. It has become an important milestone in the development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Laos.

Not far from the Investment Promotion Office of the Boten Special Economic Zone, less than 10 minutes' drive will take you to the Element Pharmaceutical Company. Walking into the clean and bright pharmaceutical workshop and quality inspection workshop, you can see the staff wearing a unified white uniform, wearing dust-proof hats, shoe covers in each area orderly production of drugs. Boding also has rich tourism resources, forests, lakes, mountains, ancient cities, Buddhist temples and other natural and cultural landscape is very distinctive. Nantong Ancient Salt Village has been opened to the public, the Golden Temple, Silver Temple, Yanjing Lake water house, two lakes resort has been built, the planned Naga River six water city will present the colorful style of the countries in the Lancang-Mekong River. Kun Xipeng, director of the Management Committee of the Special Economic Zone of Nanta Province, said that with the recovery of tourism in Laos, Boten, as a China-Laos tourism hub to undertake the point and China-Laos-Thailand land tourism interface, will transform the transportation advantage into a development advantage and release unlimited tourism potential and consumption potential energy.

As of June this year, Bodin Special Economic Zone has attracted 787 enterprises with a registered amount of 1.927 billion US dollars. Investors from China, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries are based in Bodin, covering import and export trade, processing and manufacturing, scientific and technological research and development, biopharmaceutical, financial services, tourism and vacation, culture and education.

The Lao government attaches great importance to the development of the cooperation zone. In 2022, Lao Prime Minister Song Sai, together with leaders and experts from the Laos-China Cooperation Committee and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, visited Boten to promote the establishment of a special development working group for the special Zone to guide the construction and development of the special Zone. Van Sawa, governor of Luang Namta, said that Boten-Mohan, as the first cross-border economic cooperation zone between Laos and China, serves as a window for cultural exchanges and trade between the two countries, and is an important engine for the economic development of Laos. "Boten should give full play to its own hub advantages, relying on Laos-China Railway, Mohui Expressway, Mowan Expressway and other trunk infrastructure, to build a new international dry port city, not only to become the economic center of northern Laos, but also to build the national economic center of Laos with a higher station, wider vision and greater pattern."

The China-Laos Railway was officially opened to traffic and set up a station in Bodin, attracting a large number of people, logistics, information flow, and funds to this new border city, speeding up the adjustment of local production factors, and providing strong support for the development of various industries in Bodin Special Economic Zone. Not long ago, a delegation from the government of Northeast Thailand visited Boten and visited the planning Exhibition Center of the Special Administrative Region and the logistics ICD inspection yard. The delegation said that after the opening of the China-Laos railway, the import and export business of China, Laos and Thailand has increased, and the rich resources of Northeast Thailand can be exported by relying on the China-Laos railway, and unanimously recognized the important hub significance of Boten in the construction of the China-Laos-Thailand economic corridor.

With the promotion of China's "Belt and Road Initiative" and the Lao National Special Zone strategy, Boten will develop into a distribution center and platform for the flow of people, logistics, information and capital between China and Laos, as well as ASEAN countries.