Chinese FM meets Lao FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Anning, Yunnan Province.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is willing to work with Laos to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries, strengthen strategic communication, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to continuously inject new vitality into their traditional friendship.

Wang added that China is ready to share the benefits of its super-sized market with Laos, encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Laos, safeguard the security and stability of industrial and supply chains, and work with Laos to resist economic coercion and bullying.

China welcomes Laos' joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and looks forward to its contribution to the organization's development, Wang said.

Thongsavanh, who is in China for the tenth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, said the Lao Party and government attach great importance to developing relations with China and hope to promote the construction of a Laos-China community with a shared future to go deeper and achieve more solid progress.

He thanked China for supporting Laos in becoming a dialogue partner of the SCO and said Laos is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice.