Lao, Chinese presidents hold talks in Beijing, witness signing of cooperation deals

Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s (LPRP) Central Committee and President Thongloun Sisoulith held talks with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on November 30.
The Lao leader’s state visit to China from November 29 to December 1 was made in response to an invitation from President Xi.
During their talks, they stressed the need to uphold the principles of “long-term stability, good-neighbourly friendship, mutual trust and all-round cooperation” and the spirit of “good neighbours, friends, comrades and partners” in developing bilateral ties, Xinhua reported.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President, holds talks with Thongloun Sisoulith, Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 30, 2022. --Photo Xinhua

The two leaders agreed that their countries would respect and trust each other politically, benefit each other economically, deepen mutual understanding and amity in people-to-people exchanges, constantly deepen the building of a community with a shared future for China and Laos, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
President Thongloun said the Lao Party, government and people would work with their Chinese counterparts to continuously push forward the China-Laos friendship, according to the Chinese news agency.
President Xi said he was ready to work with General Secretary Thongloun to advance the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future, hailing the fruitful results since the signing of an action plan on this goal in April 2019.
The Chinese leader said the Laos-China railway had contributed to the well-being of the two peoples and set a good example for joint Belt and Road construction.
On December 3, the railway marked its first anniversary, after operating 8.5 million passenger trips and carrying 11.2 million metric tons of cargo, the China Daily reported.
Concerning economic and trade cooperation, President Xi told the Lao leader that China will encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Laos and looked forward to more quality products from Laos entering the Chinese market, according to Xinhua.
China is ready to deepen coordination and cooperation with Laos within the frameworks of Lancang-Mekong cooperation and China-Asean cooperation, he added.
The leaders briefed each other on the key outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress and the 11th LPRP National Congress. They expressed confidence that both sides would achieve all the goals set by the congresses.
The Chinese leader said the CPC is ready to work with the LPRP to strengthen solidarity, cooperation, exchanges and mutual learning, adhere to the people-centred development philosophy, strengthen confidence in taking the socialist path, and jointly explore a new path for modernisation, according to Xinhua.
President Thongloun said the 20th CPC National Congress is an important political event in the new era for the CPC and the Chinese people, according to the Lao News Agency.
The Lao leader congratulated his Chinese counterpart on his re-election as the General Secretary of the CPC’s Central Committee.
President Thongloun expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Chinese side for the tremendous support and assistance extended to the Lao people during their fight for national independence in the past and current assistance and support for national development.
He also offered sincere condolences over the passing of former Chinese leader Comrade Jiang Zemin, saying it was a huge loss for the CPC and the Chinese people, and the LPRP and the Lao people felt the same way.
After the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of cooperation documents on political parties, economy and trade, finance, culture and education, and local government, according to Xinhua.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update December 5, 2022)