On November 14, 2017 local time, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos at the National Convention Center in Vientiane.
Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Laos are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, with a long-standing and well-established traditional friendship between the two peoples. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President Bounnhang Vorachit and I agreed that both countries should consolidate and develop bilateral relations under the new situation, and focus on building a community of shared future with strategic significance for China and Laos. China attaches great importance to developing its relations with Laos, and will continue to firmly adhere to friendly policies toward the Lao side. It is believed that the Lao people will achieve greater success in the causes of renovation and opening up.
Xi Jinping stressed that the two countries need to continuously maintain high-level contact, deepen exchange of experience in party governance and state administration, and enhance cooperation in defense, law enforcement and security, step up friendly feelings between the two peoples and further enrich and develop China-Laos comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership featuring high level of mutual trust, mutual support and mutual benefit. The two sides enjoy high complementarities, and should steadily push forward the construction of China-Laos economic corridor and ensure a smooth promotion of China-Laos railway construction, and expand the breadth and depth of cooperation in such fields as energy, resource, electricity and finance, as well as increase cooperation in livelihood areas covering education, health care and poverty alleviation, in order to allow the two peoples to enjoy more benefits of cooperation as early as possible. The two countries need to cement multilateral coordination and cooperation, and continuously support each other on issues of common concern. China supports Laos in well assuming the co-chair of the 2018 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.
Thongloun Sisoulith extended warm congratulations on Comrade Xi Jinping's re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He believed that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, the Chinese people will certainly achieve new success in their new journey of realizing the grand strategic goals, which will also be a giant inspiration for Laos' socialist cause. The Lao people have long expected General Secretary and President Xi Jinping's visit. It is believed that the historic visit this time will greatly promote bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The Lao side is ready to work with China to earnestly implement the results of this visit, and deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all fields, so as to build an unbreakable community of shared future for both countries.
Ding Xuexiang, Liu He, Yang Jiechi and other Chinese delegation members, Member of the Political Bureau of the LPRP Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Somdy Douangdy as well as others attended the meeting.