China, Laos pledge to push forward bilateral ties to new high

China and Laos pledged here Friday to work together to push forward bilateral ties to a new high.

The pledge was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith during their meeting on the sidelines of the Second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos and the two sides have witnessed significant achievements in the development of their bilateral ties, Wang said.

The Chinese side is willing to work with Laos to continue maintaining high-level contacts, map out and implement programs and outlines on jointly pushing forward the Belt and Road Initiative and implement key projects including the China-Laos railway, the Chinese foreign minister said.

As the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for this year, Laos has played a key role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, the Chinese foreign minister said.

For his part, Saleumxay thanked China for its strong support and help for Laos which reflect the comradeship between the two parties and two peoples of the two countries.

Laos is willing to maintain closer contacts with China at all levels and further deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between the two countries, he added. Endit