The president and prime minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on Sunday met separately with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who is paying an official visit to the country to enhance cooperation in all sides.
Both sides highly praised the strong momentum and positive trend with which the China-Laos relationship has been developing.
President of Laos Choummaly Saygnasone, who is also secretary general of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), told Yang that frequent exchange between the LPRP and the Chinese Communist Party and fruitful cooperation in many sides between the two countries will help Laos reduce poverty.
He said he appreciates China's positive role in international affairs and hopes to strengthen communications and coordination between the two sides on regional and global issues and also to promote ties between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Laos is a member country.
Yang said China and Laos share common base in political and economic strategy and face the same challenge of developing economy and improving people's living standard.
Therefore, enhancing China-Laos ties is of great significance, he said, adding China will uphold the common understanding reached by leaders from both sides based on which the two sides could join efforts in further deepening their friendship and cooperation to benefit both peoples and contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
While meeting with Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Yang pointed out that in recent years, bilateral trade has kept growing, while cooperation has been strengthened in the fields of infrastructure construction, energy and mineral production.
Yang said for the next step both sides should focus on broadening bilateral trade, speeding up progress in existing cooperation projects and promoting economic ties at local levels.
Yang also stressed that China will coordinate actively in next year's Third Summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, which is to be hosted by Laos, so that the summit would produce fruitful results.
The Greater-Mekong subregion comprises six countries, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Bouasone said the Laos-China economic and trade relations are developing rapidly, with Chinese enterprises playing a leading role in Laos' foreign director investment.
He told the Chinese foreign minister that economic and trade ties with China is very important to Laos in its achieving targets outlined in the sixth five-year national development plan.
Laos is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the Greater-Mekong sub-region economy, as well as the ASEAN+3 framework, said the Lao prime minister.
The Chinese foreign minister made the one-day visit to Vientaine at the invitation of Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongloun Sisoulith, who also met with Yang on Sunday.
During their meeting, Sisoulith and Yang agreed to continue to exchange visits between officials, strengthen economic cooperation in infrastructure construction, enhance coordination on multi-lateral affairs, and promote China-ASEAN relationship and cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
Source: Xinhua
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