Laos seeks cooperation with neighbours over transport of freight
Laos seeks cooperation with neighbours over transport of freight
Laos is seeking cooperation with neighbouring countries in transporting goods across their borders for shipment to third countries.
A Lao business representative, who asked not to be named, explained the problems faced by exporters at the recent Public-Private Consultative Meeting held in Vientiane. The issues discussed will be presented at the Lao Business Forum next month.
He said that Lao trucks are currently not allowed to pass through neighbouring countries so they can't transport goods to their final destination.
If a Lao truck has to pass through Vietnam or Thailand on the way to another country, the freight it carries must be transferred to a truck owned by the transit nation.
However, Thai and Vietnamese trucks are allowed to pass through Laos on their way to third countries.
This is a longstanding problem and means that Lao businesses are saddled with extra costs as they have to pay for goods to be transferred to other vehicles.
Laos now has 18 border crossings with China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. These should benefit trade, transport and industry, a transport company pointed out.
Last year, Laos became part of the 10-member Asean Economic Community, and it was hoped that cooperation in transportation would improve through talks, in a bid to enhance regional trade.
The Planning and Cooperation Department has promised that it will tackle the problem and is intending to discuss the issue with neighbouring countries in hopes of finding a solution.
Ministry of Industry and Commerce figures show that in 2015 the value of imports and exports climbed to more than 33.82 trillion kip (US$4.22 billion).
The US$4.22 billion figure included exports worth over 14.35 trillion kip (US$1.79 billion), or 43.1 percent of the plan for 2015 an increase of 0.3 percent from the same period in 2014.
The export value rose due to larger exports of minerals, electricity, garments and agricultural and wooden products.
Thailand was Laos' main export market followed by Vietnam, China, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.
