In April 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping said in a reply to the teachers and students of the China-Laos Friendship Nongping Primary School, “We welcome you to take an early trip to Beijing by boarding the China-Laos Railway train.”

In April 2023, the China-Laos Railway officially commenced its international passenger train service.

On the eve of Children’s Day 2023, 100 primary and secondary school students from Laos departed from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the international passenger train on the China-Laos Railway. They traveled to Beijing to participate in a hand-in-hand activity with Chinese students to jointly celebrate International Children’s Day, as part of the 6th Belt and Road People to People event. 

Chinese and Lao students celebrate International Children’s Day

For primary and secondary school students in Laos, the China-Laos Railway has turned their dream of traveling to Beijing by train into a reality, as the mountains are no longer insurmountable and the distant journey is now within reach. Anouphap Tounalom, Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council of Vientiane, attended the Thematic Forum on Sub-national Cooperation of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. 

He stated, “Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, Laos and China have achieved fruitful results through practical cooperation over the past decade. The China-Laos Railway has connected Laos with China, and China with ASEAN, greatly improving the efficiency of cross-border flow of people and goods. Laos has also transformed from a land-locked country into a land-linked country, driving the economic and social development in Vientiane. Some Belt and Road livelihood projects such as Mahosot General Hospital, Phiawath Complete Secondary School, and Nongping Primary School have been launched in Vientiane, giving a boost to improving people’s life and eliminating poverty in the city.” 

Fruitful results in sister-city exchanges

Beijing and Vientiane became sister cities in 2015. Over the years, the two cities have witnessed deepening cooperation in areas such as officials’ education and training, infrastructure development, and district-level exchanges. This partnership has played a leading and exemplary role in sub-national exchanges between China and Laos.

Mutual learning 

Taking into account Vientiane’s circumstances, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee School (Beijing Administration Institute) has conducted multiple video conferences to introduce the philosophy of targeted poverty alleviation and implementation of the Chinese path to modernization in Beijing to Vientiane’s Party and government officials. These online trainings, attended by over 400 Lao officials at the director general, director and division head levels, aim to facilitate the training initiatives between the two sides.

Vientiane’s Party and government officials learn about the governance experience of the Communist Party of China (CPC), such as targeted poverty alleviation

Sharing opportunities

The Mahosot General Hospital, constructed by Beijing Urban Construction Group, is a China-aided landmark project aiming to improve people’s livelihood in Laos. The first phase of the project was completed and handed over in November 2021, and the second phase is progressing smoothly, with an expected completion date by the end of this year. Once completed, the Mahosot General Hospital will stand as the largest hospital with the best facilities and the highest standard in Vientiane and even in Laos.

China-aided Mahosot General Hospital

People-to-people connectivity

Chaoyang District and Chanthabuly of Vientiane established ties in 2013. Over the past decade, the two sides have engaged in multiple exchange visits and fruitful collaborations in the fields of economy, trade, culture, sanitation, and urban governance. Notably, the sanitation vehicles donated by Chaoyang District have improved the efficiency of garbage removal in Chanthabuly. Such significant contribution to sanitation has earned praise from people in Chanthabuly.

Chaoyang District and Chanthabuly sign a cooperation project agreement

Promising pragmatic cooperation

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing Administration Institute and Vientiane Administration Institute, as well as Chaoyang District and Chanthabuly signed a memorandum of cooperation to further enhance their existing partnership. The aim is to establish new mechanisms for officials’ training while fostering cooperation between the two districts. Anouphap and Xia Linmao, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of Beijing, witnessed the signing.

Signing ceremony

Signing ceremony