China’s ambitious rail project in Laos could bring prosperity, some say. In March, a team of Chinese engineers began surveying the lush valley and hillsides, which lie on the railroad’s planned 261-mile route south to the capital, Vientiane, from the nearby border. If it goes ahead, the high-speed train would spell change for Laos, a rural backwater that has been bypassed by Asia’s industrial boom. Read More
