Xi Jinping， general secretary of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and Chinese president， attended the opening ceremony of the China-Laos Railway with Thongloun Sisoulith， general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president via video link On December 3， 2021.

The railway， a flagship project of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries， will serve as an effective channel facilitating greater cooperation， economic and trade flow， balanced development， and cultural exchanges.

The following are some highlights of Xi’s remarks on China-Laos relations.

Dec. 3， 2021

Addressing the opening ceremony of the China-Laos Railway via video link， Xi said that with the railway， the mountain from Kunming to Vientiane is no longer high and the road no longer long.

Xi called on both sides to make persistent efforts， maintain and operate the railway well， develop and construct well the areas along the line， and create a golden line for the benefit of the people of both countries.

The future of China-Laos friendship lies in the youth， and interconnection is rooted in people-to-people communication， Xi said. “China is willing to cultivate more talent for the road of China-Laos friendship.”

Apr. 25， 2021

In his congratulatory message over the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic ties between China and Laos， Xi said since the two sides established diplomatic relationship 60 years ago， China and Laos have maintained mutual understanding and enjoyed sincere exchanges， with both sides sticking to the practice and promotion of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

That has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries， set up a model for inter-state relations， and made positive contributions to pushing ahead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind， Xi said.

Jan. 21， 2021

In a telephone conversation with Thongloun， Xi said the China-Laos relationship is now at its historical best， adding that the two sides should steadily advance the construction of such large projects as the China-Laos Economic Corridor and the China-Laos Railway， and push for more achievements in bilateral Belt and Road cooperation.

Xi also called for concerted efforts to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as culture， youth and tourism， and continuously enrich the cultural content of the China-Laos community with a shared future.

Jan. 15， 2020

In his congratulatory message to Thongloun on his election as the general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee， Xi said China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers， adding that bilateral relations have continuously deepened and developed thanks to the careful cultivation and strong promotion of successive generations of leaders of the two parties and countries， continuously creating benefits for both countries and their people.

He also suggested that the two sides make concerted efforts to carry forward their traditional friendship， deepen exchanges and cooperation， promote their socialist causes， and push forward the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future， so as to make positive contributions to safeguarding regional peace， stability， prosperity and development.

2021年12月4日，中老鐵路首列國(guó)際冷鏈運(yùn)輸專(zhuān)列開(kāi)行

The first international cold-chain train launches on China-Laos Railway on December 4， 2021

上圖：2021年12月2日，老撾工作人員在中老鐵路萬(wàn)象車(chē)站“瀾滄號(hào)”動(dòng)車(chē)組前留影

Above： On December 2， 2021， Lao workers pose for pictures in front of the Lane Xang EMU train at the China-Laos Railway Vientiane Station

下圖：2021年12月4日，中老鐵路首趟國(guó)際貨物列車(chē)經(jīng)磨憨鐵路口岸前往老撾

Below： The first international freight train of the China-Laos Railway passes through the Mohan Railway Port for Laos on December 4， 2021