Open up international channels to expand new space for cooperation

Yunnan faces south, open doors wider

Our reporter Zhu Sixiong, Yang Wenming and Zhang Chi

Unloading, transferring, packing... China Railway Lianji Kunming Central Station is particularly busy, and fresh durians from the China-Laos Railway are sent from here to all places. In the first seven months of this year, Yunnan imported 270,000 tons of fresh durian, ranking among the top in the country.

The goods transported by China-Laos Railway are far more than durian. "The agricultural and special products such as cassava starch, coffee beans, rubber, etc. in South and Southeast Asian countries are rushing in two directions on this railway with Yunnan vegetables, 'Made in China's new energy buses and electromechanical products." Tao Qiang, deputy director of the freight department of China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd., introduced that the cross-border commodity types of China-Laos Railway have expanded to more than 3,000 types, with a total of 64.7 million tons of cargo transported, of which about 15 million tons of cross-border goods.

In March 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during his inspection in Yunnan: "Yunnan has unique location conditions. We must actively promote high-level opening up to the outside world and build a radiation center for South Asia and Southeast Asia."

We will thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, guided by the construction of the radiation center, coordinate opening up to the outside world, strengthen the construction of international channels, expand new space for high-level opening-up cooperation, and continue to promote the Yunnan practice of high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road".

"Hard Unicom" accelerates internal and external connections-

In July this year, the first "Zhenghe" sea-high-rail international multimodal transport train departed from the Tengjun International Land-High-Rail Transport Center in Jinning District, Kunming City and headed towards Chittagong, Bangladesh. "This transportation route leads directly to the Indian Ocean, with the transportation distance shortened by more than 1,000 kilometers, and the time is saved by about 17 days." He Shenglong, director of the Comprehensive Transport Department of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Transportation, said.

Yunnan has built a multi-dimensional channel network such as transportation, energy, and digital that radiates to 19 countries and regions, and has accelerated the interconnection and interoperability:

Vehicles are speeding, and the domestic sections of the expressway of China-Vietnam, China-Laos and China-Myanmar International Highway have been completed;

There are dense routes, and Kunming and South Asia and Southeast Asia are among the top in the country in terms of navigation cities;

The power grid has been flew, Yunnan has built 14 cross-border power networking channels, and the construction of the China-Laos 500 kV networking project has started;

Data Unicom, Kunming International Communications Business Entrance and Exit Bureau will be completed and put into use, achieving direct data transmission target countries or regions...

Accelerate the release of the "golden line" effect of the China-Laos Railway, Yunnan has accelerated the improvement of the logistics system, and has created 7 national logistics hubs, and all 77 major comprehensive development projects along the route have been started.

"Soft Unicom" expands open space-

Open the "Bianhutong" mobile application and "face scanning" certification, Zhang Chunyan, a resident of Mohan Town, Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna, quickly completed the commissioned declaration and clearance procedures for imported bananas. "In the past, people, goods and certificates had to be on site, but now you can do it in seconds without leaving your home."

The fresh cut flower exporter list from the UAE was only 2 months from docking to signing the contract. Wang Bo, director of the sales department of Yunnan Yuntianhua Huajiangshop Technology Co., Ltd., said: "The 'Yun Enterprise Overseas Alliance' connects 31 overseas business representative offices, 16 exhibition organizations and 53 business associations, etc., to connect enterprises with resources, provide compliance consultation and financial support, and support enterprises to go overseas in groups."

Make good use of 11 southward opening platforms and 12 multi-(bi-)lateral cooperation mechanisms, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and 12 multi-(bi-)lateral cooperation mechanisms. In the first half of this year, Yunnan and member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement reached 67.21 billion yuan, accounting for 52.8% of the province's import and export trade; in the first eight months, Yunnan and countries jointly built the "Belt and Road" reached 153.8 billion yuan, accounting for 85.9% of the province's total import and export value.

"Xin Unicom" benefits more people-

In Tabanan County, Bali Province, Indonesia, the "Xin Unicom Yunnan Tour" project sponsored by the Yunnan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries helped local rice farmers increase their production and income; in Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and other countries, the Yunnan Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital has helped more than 110,000 children to undergo congenital heart disease screening, and 192 children with congenital heart disease have been treated.

Focusing on development needs and carrying out pragmatic cooperation, Yunnan has established 116 friendly cities with 37 countries, and continuously expanded the exchange and cooperation space for countries in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road":

We have cooperated with Mekong countries to build 88 international joint innovation platforms, and selected a total of 183 international science and technology commissioners to carry out scientific and technological services;

Cross-border travel is becoming increasingly popular. In the first half of this year, 7,978 Vietnamese tour groups entered the country from the Hakou Highway Port;

30 Yunnan universities have opened 72 South Asia and Southeast Asian language majors. Yunnan University Yunnan Malaya College, established in cooperation with Yunnan University and the University of Malaya, has officially opened to promote high-level talent training.

"Remembering General Secretary Xi Jinping's earnest instructions, Yunnan will accelerate the construction of large internal and external channels, and make good use of various open platforms to build my country's radiation centers for South Asia and Southeast Asia to promote great opening up and development, and create a new situation for Yunnan's development in the process of Chinese-style modernization." said Wang Ning, Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee.