Xi Jinping Holds Talks with Lao's Thongloun

On the afternoon of June 5, Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, who was in China on a state visit. During the talks, Xi Jinping said that the Chinese side has always regarded Laos as an important direction in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is willing to continue supporting Laos in following a socialist path suited to its national conditions, while advancing the relationship between the two countries and the building of a community with a shared future to a higher level. The two sides exchanged views on issues including political mutual trust, economic and trade cooperation, connectivity, livelihood projects, and peopletopeople exchanges. Thongloun said that this visit comes at the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Laos and China and the "LaosChina Friendship Year." The Lao side is willing to strengthen highlevel communication with the Chinese side, deepen cooperation in such fields as national defense, security, economy and trade, investment, and the digital economy, and jointly promote the development of bilateral relations. After the talks, the two countries also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents on partytoparty exchanges, livelihood projects, finance, customs, economic and trade cooperation, youth exchanges, media, and other areas.