Laos, China agree to cement ties, expand economic cooperation

Laos and China plan to reinforce their bilateral ties and broaden economic cooperation following talks by the foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries in Beijing.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saleumxay Kommasith, visited China from April 16-18 at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Qin Gang.

Minister Qin Gang (right) welcomes Mr Saleumxay Kommasith in Beijing.

The visit aimed to enhance the traditional relations and comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future between Laos and China, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
“The two sides reached consensus to work together to hold regular meetings and arrange exchanges between high-level leaders of the two Parties and states to enhance friendship and share best practices,” the ministry stated.
The talks took place just four days after the launch on April 13 of the first cross-border passenger train service between Vientiane and Kunming in Southwest China’s Yunnan province.
The two foreign ministers pledged to push for more people-to-people exchanges and promote business-matching between the two countries.
They will encourage more tourists to take vacations in one another’s countries along with intensifying efforts to promote two-way trade by making use of the Laos-China railway.
The ministers also agreed to encourage authorities in their countries to hold talks on streamlining immigration procedures, to reduce the time taken to pass through the Laos-China border crossing.
In the longer run, the two sides will work towards introducing a one-stop train to the Boten-Mohan border crossing in order to make train travel even quicker.
The ministers agreed it was necessary to widen traffic lanes at the international border crossing to accommodate the increasing amount of freight passing through the Laos-China border.
The two sides also pledged to accelerate joint efforts to develop an economic corridor along the railway, as well as create conditions to access more financing and markets in China, which is Laos’ largest foreign investor.
The Chinese side gave the green right to Laos’ proposal to open a new consulate in the Chinese city of Chongqing to facilitate relations and cooperation, the Lao ministry said. They also discussed ways to expand cooperation in hydropower, mining, agriculture, human resource development, and anti-transnational crime and human trafficking. The ministers discussed regional and international issues of common interest.
In addition, the two sides agreed to synergise the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific with the Belt and Road Initiative, and upgrade China-Asean cooperation to a higher level, according to the Global Times.
The host pledged China’s support and assistance for Laos in its rotating chairmanship of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in 2024, the Lao ministry said.
On behalf of the Party, government and people of Laos, Mr Saleumxay expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Party, government and people of China for the assistance and support they have extended to Laos in past years.
The Lao minister congratulated Mr Qin Gang on his appointment as State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China last month.
Minister Qin Gang pledged to encourage Chinese authorities to work closely with their Lao counterparts to fulfil the agreements reached by the leaders of the two nations.
During his visit, Mr Saleumxay called on the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Mr Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
Mr Saleumxay told his host that Laos is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, jointly build a high-quality Belt and Road, construct a Laos-China community with a shared future, and promote the development of the cause of socialism, Xinhua reported.
For his part, Mr Wang Yi called on both sides to work together to raise bilateral ties to a new level, while bolstering cooperation in multilateral frameworks conducive for regional development.
“China is ready to work with Laos to uphold Asean centrality, uphold open regionalism, safeguard our shared home, and create a better environment for regional development and revitalisation,” Mr Wang Yi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update April 20, 2023)