Vietnam, Laos consolidate ties, mull new highway
Vietnam, Laos consolidate ties, mull new highway
Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s August 9-10 visit to Laos was of special significance, consolidating the special friendship between the two countries and discussing the development of the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border triangle.
Promoting cooperation in all fields
At the meeting between Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao General Party Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, the two leaders pledged to give the highest priority to the development and success of each country’s revolutionary cause.
Meeting between Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao General Party Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith (Photo: VNA)
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In recent years, the bilateral relationship has been growing well. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the two sides have made efforts to maintain high-level contacts and effectively promote cooperation in the fields of politics, diplomacy, national defense, security, education and training, trade and investment.
The two leaders agreed to continue the efficient implementation of high-level agreements reached at the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee’s 43rd session, the 2021-2025 Vietnamese-Lao agreement on bilateral cooperation, and the 2021-2030 Vietnamese-Lao strategic cooperation agreement.
They also pledged to step up economic, trade, investment and energy cooperation, solve difficulties faced by enterprises in the two countries, and make good use of free trade agreements (FTAs) of which both countries are signatories.
Textile-garment has become a major Vietnamese export to Laos
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The leaders agreed to strengthen coordination with Cambodia on implementing the agreement between the three Prime Ministers on the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Triangle Area Development and the master plan on connecting the three economies by 2030.
Vientiane-Hanoi highway
At the meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and his Lao counterpart Khampheng Xaysompheng, both sides expressed their delight at the recovery of two-way trade in the first half of 2021, laying a solid foundation for lifting the trade growth to 10 percent this year as planned by the two governments.
They agreed to accelerate on a protocol amending the 2015 Vietnam-Laos trade agreement, which is expected to be inked this year. Dien emphasized the importance of the construction of an expressway connecting Hanoi and Vientiane, saying it would form a basis for his ministry to encourage more Vietnamese enterprises to invest in Laos and make the most of the potential for cooperation.
Preparing clean banana at the Hoang Anh Attapeu Agriculture Development Co., Ltd., a major Vietnamese investment project in Laos
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In August 2021, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade will hold a conference on border economic development with the participation of 25 border provinces of Vietnam. Vietnamese Minister Dien proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and border provinces of Laos review difficulties and suggest economic development solutions for Lao border areas.
