Yunnan’s Ruili border checkpoint has processed a **record 5.02 million travellers** so far this year, a 7.5 percent increase on 2024 and the highest figure since before the pandemic, local inspectors announced on 28 November. Vehicle movements also topped 541 000 as bilateral trade and tourism with Myanmar continued to rebound.
The surge has been made possible by a **real-time smart-inspection system** that maps pedestrian and vehicle flows, opening extra lanes automatically when queues build and trimming average wait times by 30 percent. Officials have added purpose-built lanes during 2025: a “Belt-and-Road Channel” for official delegations, a “Sunshine Channel” serving 12 000 schoolchildren who cross the frontier daily, and a medical “Green Channel” that has fast-tracked more than 2 000 Myanmar patients seeking treatment in China.
![Smart lanes and ‘Sunshine Channel’ help China–Myanmar gateway hit 5 million crossings]()
Ruili accounted for 4.72 million of the passenger movements, with nearby ports at Zhangfeng, Nongdao and other crossings handling the remainder. The infrastructure upgrades dovetail with Beijing’s strategy to position Yunnan as a logistics and tourism hub for the Greater Mekong sub-region.
For manufacturers operating plants on both sides of the border the improvements translate into shorter driver lay-overs, reduced spoilage of time-sensitive goods and lower freight costs. Travel-management companies are already rerouting technical staff through Ruili rather than via detours through Mandalay or Kunming airports.
Authorities plan further digitisation in 2026, including joint pre-clearance with Myanmar customs and a multilingual mobile app allowing frequent travellers to book inspection slots in advance—developments that could make China’s southwest land ports some of the most efficient in Asia.
The surge has been made possible by a **real-time smart-inspection system** that maps pedestrian and vehicle flows, opening extra lanes automatically when queues build and trimming average wait times by 30 percent. Officials have added purpose-built lanes during 2025: a “Belt-and-Road Channel” for official delegations, a “Sunshine Channel” serving 12 000 schoolchildren who cross the frontier daily, and a medical “Green Channel” that has fast-tracked more than 2 000 Myanmar patients seeking treatment in China.
Ruili accounted for 4.72 million of the passenger movements, with nearby ports at Zhangfeng, Nongdao and other crossings handling the remainder. The infrastructure upgrades dovetail with Beijing’s strategy to position Yunnan as a logistics and tourism hub for the Greater Mekong sub-region.
For manufacturers operating plants on both sides of the border the improvements translate into shorter driver lay-overs, reduced spoilage of time-sensitive goods and lower freight costs. Travel-management companies are already rerouting technical staff through Ruili rather than via detours through Mandalay or Kunming airports.
Authorities plan further digitisation in 2026, including joint pre-clearance with Myanmar customs and a multilingual mobile app allowing frequent travellers to book inspection slots in advance—developments that could make China’s southwest land ports some of the most efficient in Asia.
