老挝考虑将中国海南港口作为新贸易门户

VIENTIANE: Laos is looking to China’s Hainan province as a potential maritime gateway to expand international trade, according to comments made by a Lao official during a regional economic forum in China this week.

Speaking in an interview with China Daily during the 2026 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Media and Think Tank Forum in Haikou on May 9 and 10, Viengsavang Thipphavong, a senior official from the Lao Institute for Industry, discussed how Laos could benefit from stronger trade connectivity through Hainan’s seaports.

In the video, Viengsavang said Laos sees opportunities to use Hainan’s port to export products to third-country markets and import raw materials more efficiently, particularly in the agriculture and logistics sectors under the RCEP framework.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a major Asia-Pacific trade agreement that includes all Asean member states alongside China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The agreement, which came into effect in January 2022, covers nearly 30 pe rcent of global GDP.

Access to the Sea

For Laos, improving access to maritime trade routes has become increasingly important as the country seeks to strengthen its position as a regional logistics hub despite being landlocked.

A key part of that strategy is the Laos-China Railway, which began operations in late 2021 and links Vientiane to China’s rail network through Boten.

The railway has significantly reduced transport times for goods moving between Laos and China and is increasingly being viewed as a corridor that could connect Lao exports to international shipping routes through Chinese ports.

Hainan, China’s southernmost island province, is home to the Hainan Free Trade Port, a major Chinese initiative aimed at transforming the island into a large-scale free trade and logistics hub with simplified customs procedures and expanded trade access.

Agricultural exports such as bananas, cassava, rubber, sugarcane, and coffee are among the Lao products that could benefit from faster and more cost-efficient shipping routes through southern China. - Laotian Times

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