Tian Fu is the Chinese name of Corrado Politi, a 75 year-old Italian marketing advisor working for the Yunnan tourism bureau.

On August 28, when I met with Tian Fu, he has just come back from Laos and excitedly told me what he had learned about the China-Laos Railway.

“The railway starts from Yuxi in the north, stops at Pu’er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan in Yunnan and Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos,” Tian Fu said excitedly. He believes that the China-Laos Railway will facilitate exchanges between the two countries so that China and Laos can grow together economically.

“China is a non-ASEAN state and is the most important source of tourists for Laos. In 2016, the Lao tourism market received about 545,000 Chinese tourists,” Tian Fu continued. He talked in such fluent Mandarin that I began to wonder if he was really Italian. Tian Fu predicted that the railway would bring more Chinese tourists to Laos, greatly promoting economic, cultural and tourist exchanges between the two countries.

“When the railway goes into operation, a lot of European tourists will be attracted to Kunming from Laos, making Yunnan’s inbound tourism more international,” said Tian Fu. He believes that it will be a good choice for European tourists to move from hot Southeast Asian countries into the Spring City—Kunming’s nickname—during high travel season in July and August.

“The Belt and Road Initiative is a great proposal from a great country,” Tian Fu said, adding that many people only know the Silk Road in the north. But the Southern Silk Road connecting China with Southeast Asia is actually very important and should be restored to its former glory, he said.