Laos and China yesterday signed 18 documents to deepen cooperation in economics and trade. Lao Vice President and politburo member Bounnhang Vorachit and his Chinese counterpart Mr Xi Jinping, who is also a politburo member, witnessed the signing ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane. The signing of the documents was the fruitful outcome of a two-day official visit to Laos by a high-level delegation from China headed by Mr Xi, who arrived in Vientiane on Tuesday. An official ceremony to welcome the delegation was held yesterday morning at the palace, followed by a bilateral meeting led by the two vice presidents. Fifteen of the signed documents are agreements and three others are memorandums of understanding. The documents cover cooperation in several areas including economics, trade, technical support and transport infrastructure development in Laos. According to a press release from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the meeting both sides reached consensus on the future direction to further strengthen the longstanding friendly relations.
Source: Vientiane Times
