Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reports that Laos and China will continue to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields based on the "Overall Plan for Building a New Type of China-Laos Community with a Shared Future (2024-2028)," particularly taking new steps in cooperation on the Laos-China railway project, improving the quality of cooperation, and ensuring tangible benefits for both countries.
From March 12 to 15, 2025, Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Laos and Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with his wife and delegation, paid an official visit to the People's Republic of China. The visit aimed to further strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries, promote the comprehensive, stable, and long-term strategic cooperative partnership in accordance with the "four good principles," and develop the China-Laos partnership of working together for the future to a higher standard, higher quality, and higher level, bringing lasting benefits to the people of both countries, and further deepening cooperation between the foreign ministries of China and Laos.
On March 13, 2025, Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane held a bilateral meeting in Beijing, China, with Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a Lao-Chinese bilateral delegation. On this occasion, Mr. Wang Yi warmly welcomed Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane and his delegation, and highly praised the official visit to China, which he said would make an important contribution to promoting and consolidating bilateral cooperation and organizing the implementation of the "Master Plan for Building a New Type of Partnership with a Shared Future between Laos and China (2024-2028)," jointly signed by the two countries' top leaders at the end of 2023, to achieve greater results. Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane also expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome he received during his first visit to China since assuming the post of Lao Foreign Minister, and praised the success of the Third Session of the 14th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, held from March 4 to 11, 2025.
During the meeting, both sides highly praised the achievements of past cooperation in various fields, including the continued regular exchanges of high-level visits between central and local leaders. Both sides particularly commended the successful implementation of the "Master Plan for Building a New Type of Partnership with a Shared Future between Laos and China (2024-2028)" and agreed to continue its implementation to achieve greater results. Furthermore, both sides expressed their pleasure and satisfaction with the continuous development and expansion of cooperation in areas such as trade and investment. Currently, China remains Laos' largest source of foreign investment, and bilateral trade and cooperation in other areas continue to grow rapidly. In particular, the opening of the Laos-China Railway has made significant contributions to promoting trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
On the same occasion, Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane, on behalf of the Lao Party, government, and people, expressed gratitude to the Chinese Party, government, and people for their assistance and support to the Lao People's Democratic Republic over the years, especially during Laos's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2024. He also invited Mr. Wang Yi to pay an official visit to Laos at a convenient and appropriate time, an invitation which Mr. Wang Yi gladly accepted.
Following the bilateral meeting, the two foreign ministers jointly signed the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Government of the People's Republic of China on Cooperation in Promoting Global Security Initiatives."
During this visit, Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane and his delegation also met with Ding Xiaxiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, and attended a banquet hosted by Liu Jianshao, Director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. They also visited the MEG VII Artificial Intelligence Development Company, the Unmanned Vehicle Testing Center, and the Capital Museum.
