To support the seamless flow of resources, transport links are expanding alongside the booming trade. The China-Laos Railway, which opened in December 2021 and links Kunming in southwest China with the Lao capital Vientiane, handled 17.17 billion yuan worth of imports and exports in the first half of 2026, surging 33.8 percent year on year.

　　Imports of tropical fruits including durian, mangosteen and longan rose 25.8 percent to 4.22 billion yuan in this period. The railway now handles more than 3,900 categories of goods, with its freight services extending to markets in 19 countries and regions.

　　Southeast Asia remains a preferred destination for Chinese companies looking to expand overseas. A January survey by United Overseas Bank (UOB), a Singapore-headquartered Asian bank, of 380 owners, executives and key decision-makers at medium-sized and large Chinese companies, found that 80 percent planned to conduct business overseas over the next three years, with ASEAN emerging as their preferred region. Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand were cited by 56 percent, 54 percent and 51 percent of respondents, respectively, in this regard.

　　As these companies solidify their footprint in ASEAN markets, the demand for efficient cross-border financial services has grown correspondingly. Adaline Zheng, president and CEO of UOB China, told the Chinese financial newspaper Securities Times in a recent interview that the renminbi was being used in a growing range of scenarios, including cross-border trade, financing and day-to-day cash management.