Xi congratulates Thongloun on election as Lao president

BEIJING - General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, on his election as the country's president.

Xi noted in the message that the world today is facing profound changes unseen in a century, and China-Laos relations are in a crucial stage that inherits the past and sets a course for the future.

He added that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Laos relations and is willing to work with Thongloun to further consolidate and expand the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperation, promote the well-being and friendship of their people, and lift the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future to new heights.

Noting that China and Laos are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 60 years ago, the relations between the two parties and between the two countries have braved the waves and grown stronger as time goes by.

In recent years, Xi said, the traditional friendship between China and Laos has achieved new development, strategic mutual trust has made new progress, practical cooperation has taken new steps, and bilateral relations have entered a new era of building a community with a shared future.

Xi said that since last year, China and Laos have joined hands in the fight of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has vividly demonstrated the spirit of the China-Laos community with a shared future, and consolidated and deepened the brotherly friendship between the two sides.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to Phankham Viphavanh on the latter's election as Laos' prime minister. Li said he is ready to make joint efforts with Phankham to continuously enrich the connotation of their countries' comprehensive strategic cooperation, and make new progress in the cause of building the China-Laos community with a shared future.