Laos hopes for economic boost from railway

Fast track: The Lane Xang bullet train in Vientiane. The train route will connect the Chinese city of Kunming to the Laos capital, with grand plans for the high-speed rail to ultimately snake down through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. — AFP

Bangkok: A new US$6bil (RM25.44bil) Chinese-built railway line opens in Laos this week, bringing hopes of an economic boost to the reclusive nation, but experts are questioning the benefits of a project that has seen thousands of farmers evicted from their land.

The 414km route, due to open on Dec 3, took five years to construct under China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which funds infrastructure projects aimed at increasing Beijing’s clout globally.