Deepening bonds

Jointly building the BRI with China has unleashed the potential of Laos in the process of building a community with a shared future for mankind

The Laos-China relationship boasts a history of nearly 2,000 years, during which the two peoples have engaged in beneficial interactions, deepened mutual understanding and melded cultures, traditions and worldviews. The progress of Laos-China ties has played a positive role in the development of both nations, providing a solid foundation for us to inherit and continue our unique experiences, as well as to cooperate and deepen connections under current conditions.

Over the past decade, Laos and China have continuously deepened cooperation and made significant achievements in advancing the building of a Laos-China community with a shared future, which has contributed to and set an example in building a community with a shared future for mankind. As I understand it, the Laos-China community encompasses political mutual respect and trust, economic mutual benefit and reciprocity, cultural mutual understanding and affinity, and coexistence in and shared governance of the ecological environment.

Laos and China have achieved political mutual respect and trust.

Shortly after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, CPC Central Committee General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Laos, highlighting the high value China puts on Laos. In April 2019, China and Laos signed the Action Plan for Building a Community with a Shared Future Between Laos and China, which demonstrated the uniqueness of the partnership and marked the beginning of a substantive phase of its construction. In December 2022, the signing of the Joint Statement on Further Deepening the Building of a China-Laos Community with a Shared Future has provided guidance for advancing the initiative to a new level.

After the successful convening of the 11th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the leaders on both sides timely briefed each other on significant events in their respective parties and countries, a clear evidence of the high level of political mutual trust. During high-level interactions, both sides have shown understanding and firm support for each other's core interests and concerns, and affirmed each other's development visions, which is a sign of the political mutual respect between the two parties and countries.

Laos and China have achieved economic mutual benefit and reciprocity.

Based on the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Lao strategy of "from land-locked to land-linked", Laos and China have yielded remarkable results in economic cooperation leading to mutual benefit and reciprocity.

The trade volume between Laos and China has continued to grow. In 2022, total trade grew by 31 percent despite the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic. China's exports to Laos increased by 40.9 percent and imports from Laos were up by 24.9 percent. China has become Laos's second-largest trading partner and the largest export destination.

The successful launch of the Laos-China Railway in 2021 marked a significant milestone in bilateral ties. As a crucial link for regional connectivity, the railway line has achieved extraordinary accomplishments in its two-year operation. Along the line, the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone and the Xuan Ye Group's Modern Agricultural-Industrial Park in Laos have played important roles in supporting the cooperation in production capacity between the two countries and safeguarding the food security of supply chains.

The Laos-China Railway has propelled the development of various industries in Laos, such as iron ore, rubber and agricultural products, thereby supporting Laos to achieve higher-quality economic growth. For example, Asia Potash International Investment leveraged technology and process advantages to achieve large-scale production of potash fertilizer with a production capacity of 1 million metric tons a year, making a name for Laos as a major potash fertilizer supplier. The company plans to further expand its annual production capacity of potassium chloride to 5 to 7 million tons, which will make Laos the largest potash fertilizer production base in Asia.

In recent years, Chinese research institutions and companies have been continuously progressing and upgrading exchanges and cooperation with Laos in various fields. An outstanding example is the Yangguang Jiarun (Laos) Eco-Agricultural Industrial Park. Not only did it tailor-make for Laos a modern agriculture model primarily focusing on durian and other tropical fruits, its success will also encourage more Chinese and Lao companies, including private enterprises, to participate and foster mutual cooperation in various industries.

Laos and China have achieved cultural mutual understanding and affinity.

Top-level planning has been strengthened to deepen cultural exchanges, which have yielded significant results under the strategic coordination and attention from both parties and governments.

To enhance cooperation in education, both countries have made big strides in mutual recognition of academic degrees, cooperation in vocational education and the building of Confucius Institutes. To support the construction and operation of the Laos-China Railway, China initiated in 2019 its assistance to the establishment of the Lao railway vocational technical college, which aims to help Laos create a full-time higher vocational and technical college and fill the gap in railway vocational education.

In terms of medical cooperation, Lao and Chinese military forces operate the "Peace Train" along the Laos-China Railway to conduct humanitarian rescue exercises and free clinics. China has dispatched the ninth group of medical expert teams to Laos to carry out medical service activities, including the "Mekong Bright Journey". The 103 Military Hospital of Lao People's Army and Mahosot Hospital, where the Chinese medical experts are stationed, have opened doors and received widespread praise from the Lao people.

China and Laos have achieved coexistence in and shared governance of the ecological environment. In the process of building the Laos-China community with a shared future, both countries have engaged in practical cooperation to protect the environment with outstanding achievements.

They have stepped up efforts to protect the aquatic resources and the aquatic environment of the Lancang-Mekong River, through regular exchange visits, joint fisheries law enforcement activities, as well as restocking and release programs, so as to improve biodiversity and the natural environment in the river basin.

Sustainable development is also a priority area. When building the Laos-China Railway, the densely forested areas and abundant biodiversity resources along the line were taken into account to create a green and ecologically harmonious railway corridor that balances economic benefits with environmental protection, contributing significantly to Laos's aim of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The author is vice president of the National Assembly of Laos. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.