CH The year 2026 marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos. From July 20 to 25, the "Air Silk Road" team of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Global Challenge Program traveled to Laos for field research. The delegation was led by Meng Xiangqi, Director of the People's Armed Forces Department and Deputy Director of the Student Affairs Office of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Xu Wu, Vice Dean of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Comprising 19 faculty members and students from six schools, the team followed the route of the "Land Silk Road" into Laos and then, along the air routes of the "Air Silk Road," ventured deep into the heart of the Indochina Peninsula. With the footsteps and vision of young students, at the intersection of land and air, they wrote a "youth letter" about building a China-Laos community with a shared future
Railways as the Prelude: Understanding a Neighbor Through a Belt and Road Benchmark Project
The project team conducts interviews at Kunming Station
China and Laos are connected by mountains and rivers, sharing a traditional friendship that runs deep and long. The first stop of this journey was not an airport, but the China-Laos Railway. The team departed from Kunming aboard the D86 China-Laos international train. Before departure, they conducted surveys and interviews with travelers at Kunming Station, collecting public demands for cross-border travel while reviewing the railway's daily operations. Passing through the Mohan and Boten ports, they experienced firsthand the customs clearance procedures of this Belt and Road landmark project.
The project team takes a group photo at Kunming Station and Vientiane Station.
The China-Laos Railway, fully opened in 2021, is a vivid testament to the Belt and Road Initiative's transition from concept to reality. A single cross-border train serves not only as a transportation link connecting the two countries but also as a mobile research platform for observing the flow of people and goods along the China-Laos Economic Corridor, providing a land-based reference perspective for subsequent aviation industry research.
Industry as the Foundation: A Dialogue on the "Chinese Solution" for Laos' Aviation Industry
Upon arriving in Vientiane, the project team visited core units across the entire local civil aviation chain in succession, conducting multiple in-depth discussions to comprehensively understand the current state and existing challenges of Laos' civil aviation industry.
01 Vientiane Wattay Airport
The project team conducts interviews at Vientiane Wattay Airport.
At Vientiane Wattay International Airport, faculty and students conducted on-site visits covering the entire process of airport operations management, ground maintenance support, and passenger services, and engaged in exchanges with the airport management team focusing on construction shortcomings and operational pain points.
The project team holds a discussion at Vientiane Wattay Airport.
The airport expressed a strong desire for talent exchange and looked forward to sending on-the-job employees to Chinese universities for further study and training
02 Lao Civil Aviation Authority
The project team holds a discussion at the Lao Civil Aviation Authority.
。At the Lao Civil Aviation Authority, Deputy Director-General Vixay BOUAVANH (among the first batch of C909 type-rated pilots in Laos) warmly received the visiting faculty and students. The two sides fully exchanged views on aircraft airworthiness certification standards, civil aviation safety regulations, and the industry's medium- and long-term development plans.
The project team takes a group photo at the Lao Civil Aviation Authority.
03 Lao Airlines
The project team holds a discussion at Lao Airlines.
In discussions with Lao Airlines, both sides fully exchanged views on the current state of local aviation operations and the prospects of the regional market.
The project team exchanges views with COMAC personnel.
Subsequently, the leading faculty held talks with COMAC staff, discussing the operational status of the C909 in Laos from the perspective of the aircraft manufacturer.
Silver Wings as Testimony: Measurements and Witnessing Aboard the C909
On July 24, the research reached its core practical phase — the team boarded flight QV303, operated by a C909, from Vientiane Wattay Airport to Pakse Airport. During the flight, team members simultaneously recorded multiple sets of measured data, including cabin noise, ride comfort, and takeoff and landing stability.
After landing in Pakse, the team immediately conducted research on the southern regional aviation market, conducting on-site surveys of airport supporting facilities and communicating with frontline staff to understand short-haul route passenger flow patterns and tourism travel demands, directly witnessing the significant improvements that domestically produced regional aircraft have brought to transportation and tourism in southern Laos.
The C909 is not merely an aircraft; it is an "aerial calling card" in the internationalization of Chinese manufacturing and technology. It delivers the warmth of Chinese technology to ordinary people in Laos, giving the phrase "Intelligent Manufacturing in China" a tangible, rideable quality at 10,000 meters above the ground.
Youth as the Bridge: SJTU Day and the Intergenerational Transmission of Friendship
The project team takes a group photo with faculty and students of the National University of Laos.
The team visited the National University of Laos to hold the "SJTU Day" youth friendship exchange event. SJTU faculty and students provided a detailed introduction to the university's disciplinary strengths, cutting-edge research achievements, and international talent cultivation system, and shared the rich and diverse campus life. Young people from both countries engaged in lively discussions on topics such as aviation professional talent cultivation and the shortage of local civil aviation talent in Laos, while also conducting questionnaire surveys.
项目成员介绍SJTU Day活动详情
Highlights of the SJTU Day event.
This two-way exchange was not merely a sharing of professional knowledge but also a deep bond of friendship between the youth of the two countries. Taking this opportunity, the team accurately grasped the current state and urgent needs of talent development in Laos' civil aviation industry, laying a solid foundation for subsequent long-term cooperation in China-Laos aviation education — youth, after all, are always the most vibrant and enduring bridge in building a community with a shared future.
On the evening of July 24, the Laos transnational research project team held a special summary meeting to comprehensively review the implementation of overseas field research and distill practical outcomes.
The project team holds a special summary meeting.
At the meeting, the heads of the research group, technical group, and publicity group reported on their respective work progress in turn. The leading faculty provided comments on each group's work, highlighting strengths and summarizing experience.
Group leaders give work reports.
During the exchange and discussion, project team members expressed sincere gratitude for the university's meticulous guidance and strong support throughout the process, which provided solid backing for the smooth implementation of this transnational field research.
From railways to silver wings, from industry to humanities, from Kunming to Vientiane. In 2026, at this special juncture marking the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations, this young team measured with their footsteps and connected with their hearts, allowing "China-Laos friendship" to shine from a grand concept into the flow of people at railway stations, the conference tables of the Civil Aviation Authority, and the laughter at the National University.
In the future, SJTUers will continue to leverage their disciplinary strengths, deepen industry-academia-research collaboration, drive aviation development through technological innovation, and nurture bilateral friendship through cultural exchange, making youth power a powerful engine for building the China-Laos community with a shared future and writing a new chapter of friendship for this era.