KUNMING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 300 tonnes of raw coffee beans have recently left Pu'er City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, onboard a China-Laos Railway international cargo train.

The goods were then transported to Europe via a China-Europe freight train after they arrived in Chongqing Municipality, southwest China.

It was the first batch of coffee beans exported from Pu'er to Europe by rail.

In the past, Pu'er's coffee beans were exported to Europe by road and sea. After the opening of the China-Laos Railway, 30 percent of logistics time can be saved by rail transport.

As a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the 1,035-km China-Laos Railway was launched in December 2021. Half a year into its operation, the railway has delivered more than 4 million tonnes of freight as of June 2. The transport volume of cross-border cargo came in at 647,000 tonnes during the period.

"Thanks to the launch of the China-Laos Railway, our company has a new export channel, bringing us more orders," said Wang Hai, general manager of the purchasing station in Pu'er, Nestle's subsidiary in Dongguan City.

"The company's export orders this year have increased by 30 percent year on year," added Wang.

Pu'er City is known as China's "coffee capital." With the unique quality of strong and lasting aroma and slightly fruity taste, Pu'er coffee enjoys a good reputation both at home and abroad.

Currently, the area of coffee plantations in Pu'er has reached about 46,667 hectares and the annual coffee bean output hits 55,000 tonnes, both accounting for over 50 percent of the national total.

Statistics showed the export of Yunnan coffee beans this year has reached 18,000 tonnes, worth 550 million yuan (about 82.3 million U.S. dollars), a surge of 2.3 times and 3.8 times, respectively.