The piers for the Luang Prabang railway bridge, a section of the China-Laos Railway built by the China Railway Group Ltd., stand under construction near Luang Prabang, Laos, on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. China's Belt and Road initiative plans to connect Southeast Asian countries with the southwest region of Yunnan through a series of high-speed railways. There are three routes planned: a central one that runs through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia to reach Singapore; a western route through Myanmar; and an eastern one through Vietnam and Cambodia. Photographer Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
