Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2019 shows the welding base for the China-Laos railway project in Vientiane, Laos. On the 44th anniversary of the funding of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on Dec. 2, 2019, the China Railway No.2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) has welded the first 500-meter-long rail for the China-Laos railway project in Lao capital Vientiane. The rail, which is to be installed along the seamless China-Laos railway, is also the first long railway rail in the history of Lao transportation, of southeastern Asian transportation and is also the longest one in Asia so far, except in China. The success of the welding also marked that the welding base for the China-Laos railway project was formally put into operation, laying a solid foundation for the railing of the China-Laos Railway. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)