'Game changer': Laos opens Chinese-built railway line

Bangkok (AFP) Dec 2, 2021

Laos is set to open a $6 billion Chinese-built railway on Friday, with debt concerns balanced against hopes it could boost the reclusive nation's struggling economy. The 414-kilometre (260-mile) route took five years to construct under China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Analysts have acknowledged the potential economic boost, but have queried how infrastructure-poor Laos w