The Thanaleng railway Station in Laos recently informed Thai authorities that the procedures for transporting Thai fruits to China via the China-Laos railway are being simplified and the transport speed is expected to be faster, reported Thai media The Nation.
   
Laos is working with China to obtain SPS Agreement certification(Agreement of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) and CICC (China Certification & Inspection Group Co., Ltd) approval to speed up the authorization process for the transportation of Thai agricultural products.
   
Thanaleng Railway Station is part of Vientiane Logistics Park (VLP), Laos' first integrated logistics park, which was recently visited by Thai Deputy Minister of Transport Atirat Ratanasate.  Sakhone Philangam, head of Thanaleng Railway Station, said a memorandum of understanding on sanitary and Phytosanitary cooperation was signed
in person with the Chinese side a few weeks ago, under which the Chinese sanitary and Phytosanitary Centre will be located at Thanaleng Railway Station.  He explained that all Thai products labeled SPS and CCIC can be shipped directly to China by rail once the port has SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) and CCIC (China Certification & Inspection and Certification Group) related facilities.  
   
Until now, transportation of Thai durian to China by rail via Laos has been inefficient, as the goods have to be transferred to trucks at the Chinese border crossing in Bohan-Boten.  Durians must be inspected at truck crossing points to obtain sanitary and Phytosanitary certificates before they are transferred into China by road which typically takes several days, including the time it takes to complete COVID-19 containment protocols set by the Chinese government.  While non-agricultural products can be transported directly by rail, without the demand for road transfer.   The Thanaleng railway station and logistics park have boosted the volume of trade between China and Laos since it opened in December last year, laying the foundation for transit trade between China and Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.  As the new cross-border railway is completed in the next few years, it will drive a major shift from maritime trade to trade via Lao roads and railways.  
   
On June 26, the China-Laos Railway will launch its first transport service from Thanaleng Railway Station to China, according to the Laos-China Railway Corporation Ltd.    
In order to speed up the transportation and logistics process, the head of Thanaleng Railway Station asked Thai authorities to inform truck drivers to submit the necessary information before entering the station so as to process as many documents as possible before the truck arrives.  Viengkhone Sitthixay, vice chairman of Vientiane Logistics Park, said the logistics Park is part of Laos' logistics connectivity project and part of Laos' national logistics strategy for 2016-2030, which will push Laos to transform from a closed landlocked country into a well-connected country.