Laos, China’s Yunnan promote development in northern Lao provinces

Laos and Yunnan province of China have agreed on a cooperation plan to promote development in northern Lao provinces aiming to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The agreement was signed at a meeting to coordinate cooperation between the northern provinces of Laos and Yunnan province, held recently in Kunming capital of Yunnan province.

Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mrs Khemmani Pholsena and Secretary of Yunnan province Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Yunnan Provincial People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Chen Hao, chaired the meeting.
Vice-Chairman of the Laos-China Cooperation Commission under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Mr Khenethong Sisouvong, and provincial government officials from Laos also attended.
The meeting aimed to strengthen ties and further promote tangible cooperation between Laos and Yunnan, especially on trade, investment and special economic zones, public works and transport, posts and telecommunications and other sectors.
The cooperation between Laos’ northern provinces and Yunnan province is focusing on the exchange information for trade, investment, solving issues together, creating economic corridors, and promoting northern provinces, especially those along the corridor.
Laos has offered to assist Yunnan province in the development of the Laos-China railway, and the two countries have agreed to implement key programmes such as the Vientiane-Boten and Boten-Huayxai expressways which are being built by Chinese companies in Laos.
Both will pay special attention to opium replacement crop projects, which will bring real benefits to farmers in the northern provinces of Laos.
Both also exchanged views on various issues of common interest such as collaboration in culture and tourism, education, agriculture and forestry, border and labour matters as well as ways to strengthen cooperation between Laos and Yunnan province.
From January to October this year, investment between Laos and Yunnan province reached 6.54 billion Yuan while border trade increased by 32 percent compared with the same period in 2018.
Lao exports achieved 2.25 billion Yuan, an increase of 72.9 percent compared with the corresponding period last year, and imports reached 4.29 billion Yuan, up 17.4 percent.
Some 265 enterprises from Yunnan province were established in Laos from January to October this year.

By Viengdavanh Banphahaksa
(Latest Update December 6, 2019)