Laos opens railway to China as debt to Beijing rises

BEIJING (AP) — The prime minister of Laos has ridden the first run of a $5.9 billion Chinese-built train connecting his isolated, mountainous country with southern China. The two governments tout the line as a boost to economic growth. But it leaves a debt that foreign experts say Laos might struggle to repay. The railway is one of hundreds of projects under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative to build ports, railways and other facilities across Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The first train pulled out of Vientiane following an inauguration ceremony conducted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Lao counterpart, Thongloun Sisoulith, over a video link.