Opening of China-Laos railway advances connectivity

Wu Jiong

L in Songtian， president of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， met online with Phet Phomphiphak， minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos and president of the LaosChina Friendship Association， on June 21. They had candid and friendly exchanges via video and reached broad consensus on China-Laos relations， people-to-people cooperation， international and regional situations and other issues of common concern.

Yuan Mindao， vice-president of the CPAFFC， Cheng Haibo， head of CPAFFCs department of East Asian Affairs， Synava Souphanouvong， vice minister of Energy and Mines of Laos and vice president of the LCFA； and Houngphet Chanthavong， vice-president of National University of Laos， also attended the meeting.

Lin Songtian once again congratulated Phet Phomphiphak on becoming president of the LCFA. He said that China and Laos are good neighbors， good friends， good comrades and good partners with adjoining mountains and rivers and common goals. More than 60 years ago， the two countries established diplomatic relations. Since then， political mutual trust has been deepened， traditional friendship has been enhanced and mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded remarkable results. The bilateral relationship has grown stronger over time and sets a good example for state-to-state relations.

“In recent years， under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two parties and countries， the China-Laos comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation has been developing rapidly in an all-around way，” Lin said. “We have made remarkable achievements in jointly building a community with a shared future of strategic significance.”

Lin noted that on Dec 3 last year， leaders of the two parties and countries saw the China-Laos Railway open to traffic. It has become a new symbol of traditional friendship and a demonstration project of high-quality cooperation between the two countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Laos， the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia， has become a country directly connecting to China， a huge consumer market with 20 percent of the worlds population. Lao is also a hub connecting China with ASEAN countries and the world. The opening of the China-Laos Railway has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and injected strong momentum to connectivity between China and ASEAN， as well as win-win cooperation and common development in regional countries.

Lin said that both China and Laos are committed to the leadership of the Communist Party， the socialist path， a people-centered development philosophy， modernization and common prosperity.

In 2021， China achieved its first centenary goal as scheduled， lifting more than 1.4 billion people from poverty， famine， war and homelessness and embarking on a new journey of socialist modernization with full confidence to achieve common prosperity.

Last year， the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Laos was successfully held， presenting a new vision for national develop-ment. China and Laos firmly uphold the two countries common interests and the cause of socialism， human development and progress.

Lin said the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change as it faces a pandemic unprecedented in a century. To answer the questions of the world and the question of the times， President Xi Jinping has proposed a series of new ideas， concepts， propositions and measures， including the Belt and Road Initiative， the Global Development Initiative， the Global Security Initiative and the initiative to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind， which have received wide recognition and a positive response from the international community.

“The 21st century is the century of Asia. The rise of the East and the decline of the West is a general trend. Governance in the East and chaos in the West has become a reality. Wed like to stay close and united with Laos and other ASEAN countries， carry forward the China-ASEAN spirit as close as family and Asian solidarity and cooperation， Lin said. Taking implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as an important opportunity， we will promote the highquality development of regional economic integration and the building of a peaceful， tranquil， prosperous， beautiful and friendly home for China and ASEAN countries.”

Lin pledged that the CPAFFC will maintain close communication with Laos to prioritize the following three areas：

First， he said， we will carry on traditional friendship and open up new prospects for people-to-people friendship in the new era.

Second， we will focus on common development and strive for tangible results in mutually beneficial cooperation.

Third， we will step up coordination and cooperation to jointly safeguard the idea that Asian countries are as close as family.

“We will give our full support to the LCFA for the success of the 2022 Conference on China-ASEAN Peopleto-People Friendship Organizations in the near future， and look forward to the exchange of visits between the two sides at an early date， as COVID-19 conditions permit，” he said.

Phomphiphak thanked Lin for his warm congratulations. He hailed the traditional friendship between the two countries and parties， as well as Chinas support in all aspects. He invited Lin to visit Laos at an early date.

Phomphiphak said the Laos-China traditional friendship was profound and that bilateral relations are at their best in history. Laos firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping， he said， calling it an important lever for bilateral cooperation. Upholding the principle of extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits， Laos has actively promoted implementation of Belt and Road projects， such as the Laos-China railway and road， and brought tangible benefits to the two countries and their people.

He said Laos hopes that through the Laos-China railway， more products with Lao characteristics and quality resources will be exported to China and other countries. Laos welcomes Chinese enterprises as they take the opening of the Laos-China railway as an opportunity to invest in Laos and deepen economic and trade exchanges so that people along the line will have a greater sense of gain and happiness.

“I highly agree with President Lin on the three priorities of promoting Laos-China people-to-people friendship，” Phomphiphak said. “I will lead all members of the LCFA to keep close contact with China in multiple channels and fields， innovate modes of communication and promote friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides in economy and trade， culture， tourism， human resources and fighting epidemics. We will carry forward the traditional friendship between the two parties， two countries and two peoples and make new contributions to Laos-China and ASEAN-China relations. Laos looks forward to the successful hosting of the 2022 Conference on ChinaASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN.”