According to Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com), Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos and head of the Lao delegation, recently attended the 11th Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong. He issued an open invitation for investment, sincerely calling upon "Belt and Road" partners and enterprises from around the world to deepen their engagement in Laos' key industrial sectors, thereby supporting regional connectivity and the high-quality transformation and upgrading of the Lao economy.
Themed "Advancing High-Quality Development – Embarking on a New Journey," this year's summit brought together over 6,000 guests from more than 80 countries and regions, serving as a vital international platform for deepening multilateral economic and trade cooperation and connecting high-quality resources. In his opening address, Saleumxay Kommasith highly commended the value of the Hong Kong Belt and Road Summit as a platform, as well as the enduring impact and tangible results of the cooperation achieved since the inception of the Belt and Road Initiative. He highlighted Hong Kong's unique advantages in location and resources, noting its continued role as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder" in regional economic and trade cooperation, playing an irreplaceable part in facilitating cross-border trade, two-way investment, and regional connectivity.
Saleumxay particularly emphasized the strategic value of the China-Laos Railway. He noted that the railway, which opened in 2021, fundamentally overcame the geographical disadvantages Laos faced as a landlocked nation, successfully transforming it into a land-linked hub. This corridor has not only significantly reduced cross-border passenger and freight travel times and lowered international logistics costs—effectively opening up land routes to international markets—but has also deeply fostered people-to-people exchanges, providing robust support for poverty alleviation and the improvement of livelihoods in Laos.
Saleumxay expressed strong alignment with the summit's focus on high-quality development. He pointed out that a cooperative approach centered on green innovation and high-quality development can effectively drive the transformation and upgrading of regional cooperation and empower steady economic growth across nations, while also aligning perfectly with Laos' latest national development plan. Laos' 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2026–2030) is anchored in the core principles of green, sustainable, and high-quality development, outlining six key strategic directions. Its primary objectives include consolidating Laos' status as a land-linked national and regional logistics hub, deeply integrating into regional industrial and supply chains, and accelerating the digital economic transformation. These efforts aim to facilitate a smooth and sustainable graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, while driving economic quality improvement, efficiency gains, and long-term growth.
Leveraging this new national development plan, Laos has officially opened seven key investment sectors to the outside world, extending an invitation for cooperation to "Belt and Road" partner nations and global enterprises. These sectors—spanning trade and investment, culture and tourism, modern industrialization, digital connectivity, clean and renewable energy, human resource development, and modern agriculture—represent core areas where the country is fully opening its doors to investment partnerships.
Laos is currently making concerted efforts to broaden investment channels and expand industrial capacity, with a positive momentum in foreign investment inflows. Data indicates that in the first seven months of 2026, the Lao government approved 34 concession and regulated projects with a total investment of US$8.5 billion—a significant 68% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Actual capital inflow reached US$1.06 billion during this period, demonstrating tangible results in attracting foreign investment. Projections under the national development plan estimate a total investment requirement of 6,361.78 trillion Kip for national development and construction between 2026 and 2030. Domestic and international private investment is expected to contribute 4,094.7 trillion Kip—accounting for 64.4% of the total—underscoring the pivotal role of private and foreign capital in realizing Laos' national development goals.
During the forum, Saleumxay Kommasith held dedicated talks with John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They engaged in in-depth discussions regarding bilateral economic and trade cooperation, two-way investment opportunities, industrial synergy, and other issues of mutual interest. Additionally, Saleumxay met with representatives from the Hong Kong business community and attended the 2026 Laos-Hong Kong Economic and Trade Consultation Forum. The forum focused on three core areas—investment cooperation, clean energy development, and cross-border financial services—establishing a dedicated platform for regular engagement between the business communities of Laos and Hong Kong, thereby fostering industrial complementarity and resource integration. At the event, Saleumxay also witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation agreements, laying a solid institutional foundation for deep, pragmatic collaboration between the two sides.
This Hong Kong Belt and Road Summit provided a high-quality international platform for Laos to showcase its strengths. It not only highlighted the country's robust investment potential and its open, inclusive approach to cooperation but also underscored its pivotal role as a hub for connectivity and regional supply chain integration within the Indochina Peninsula. The event will continue to facilitate Laos's deep integration into the high-quality development framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, paving the way for mutually beneficial, multilateral development.
