Chinese President Xi Jiping, right, accompanied by President Bounnhang Vorachit, inspects Guard of Honour during a welcome ceremony held in honour of the visiting president in Vientiane on Monday, Nov 13, 2017

(KPL) Chinese President, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, arrived in Vientiane on Monday afternoon for a two-day state visit to the Lao PDR in response to the invitation of President Bounnhang Vorachit. 

An official welcome ceremony was hosted in honour of the visiting Chinese top leader by President Bounnhang Vorachit at Presidential Palace in Vientiane followed by a bilateral meeting where the two state leaders discussed a number of issues to strengthen cooperation between Laos and China. 

The visit by the Chinese president constituted a historic landmark for strengthening the cooperation and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

President Bounnhang Vorachit highly valued the visit by his Chinese counterpart which was made soon after the Communist Party of China had held its 19^th National Congress and at the time when the traditional friendly relations and comprehensive partnership between Laos and China are being actively strengthened.

President Bounnhang appreciated his Chinese counterpart upon his re-election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee saying that his re-election represented the trust the entire Party has rested on him over the past five years for his outstanding leadership in national development in line with the vision of socialism with Chinese characteristics.  

The host noted that the visit by President Xi Jinping represented the importance the Communist Party of China and Chinese government have attached to the traditional and longstanding relations of comprehensive partnership between the Parties, governments and people of the two countries thus lifting the ties between the two countries to new heights.

President Bounnhang told his counterpart that the visit will provide a golden opportunity for senior officials of Laos and China to review the cooperation over the past years and discuss the direction of cooperation between the two Parties and governments for years to come.

He highly valued the success of the 19^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China including the approval of Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics as a guidance thought for the Communist Party of China.

He expressed on behalf of the Party, government and people of the Lao PDR his gratitude to the Party, government and people of China for their priceless assistance to the Lao people both in the past time of national liberation and the current time of national construction and development.

In reply, Chinese President expressed thanks to the host for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation of senior officials by President Bounnhang, other senior officials and Vientiane residents.

He appreciated that the fraternal Lao people, under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party led by its Party Secretary General Bounnhang Vorachit, have recorded great achievements in national socio-economic development over the past years and reaffirmed that China will work together with the Lao PDR to enhance the relations and cooperation to be increasingly fruitful.

Both sides highly valued the bilateral relations of the two countries which have been strengthened horizontally and vertically over the past years.

They noted that the political relations have been strengthened significantly and become a strong foundation for enhancing the bilateral relations in a number of areas.

Cooperation on theories, governance lessons, Party strengthening, economy, trade and investment are increasingly strengthened and bringing optimal benefits to the people of Laos and China.

Both sides also agreed to maintain visit exchange mechanisms between senior officials of the two Parties and governments, attach importance to enhancing the bilateral cooperation mechanisms to be more effective, build unbreakable partnership of shared destiny and implement cooperation plans for the period of 2016-2020 on developing leading and administrative officials of the Lao Party and government in China.

They agreed to continue the cooperation to incorporate Laos’ vision of turning itself from landlocked into land linked country” into the “Belt and Road” strategy of China to bring optimal benefits to people of the two countries.

The two Presidents also witnessed the signing of 17 agreements designed to enhance cooperation in various areas namely economy, investment, hydropower energy, human resource development, connectivity, agriculture, ICT among others.   

KPL