Premier Zhu Rongji yesterday pledged that China will enhance its
co-operation with neighboring Laos through further contacts and
exchanges.
During his meeting with visiting Laotian Prime Minister Boungnang
Vorachit, Zhu said China is willing to keep the momentum of
high-level contacts.
He
called for enhanced exchanges in various fields including culture
and mass media, education and public health, particularly the
co-operation between Southwest China's Yunnan
Province and the northern part of Laos which border each other.
Highlighting the results already achieved in bilateral economic
co-operation and trade, the Chinese premier said that China will
work to expand bilateral co-operation in agriculture, forestry,
mineral resources development and infrastructural construction.
According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhu also
suggested that the two countries should promote more personnel
exchanges and training programmes and strengthen co-ordination in
international and regional issues.
Following the talks between Zhu and the prime minister on the
future development of bilateral relations, China and Laos yesterday
signed five agreements on extradition and co-operation in the
economic, banking and education sectors.
The present visit by Boungnang is a follow-up to the exchange of
visits by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Laotian counterpart
Khamtay Siphandone in 2000. During the 2000 visits, the two
countries pledged to develop a lasting, stable relationship
featuring mutual trust and comprehensive co-operation.
According to the Chinese spokesman, Boungnang said he hoped that
his visit will add new momentum to the development of bilateral
co-operation.
(China
Daily February 5, 2002)