Premier Zhu Rongji yesterday pledged that China will enhance its co-operation with neighboring Laos through further contacts and exchanges.

During his meeting with visiting Laotian Prime Minister Boungnang Vorachit, Zhu said China is willing to keep the momentum of high-level contacts.

He called for enhanced exchanges in various fields including culture and mass media, education and public health, particularly the co-operation between Southwest China's Yunnan Province and the northern part of Laos which border each other.

Highlighting the results already achieved in bilateral economic co-operation and trade, the Chinese premier said that China will work to expand bilateral co-operation in agriculture, forestry, mineral resources development and infrastructural construction.

According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhu also suggested that the two countries should promote more personnel exchanges and training programmes and strengthen co-ordination in international and regional issues.

Following the talks between Zhu and the prime minister on the future development of bilateral relations, China and Laos yesterday signed five agreements on extradition and co-operation in the economic, banking and education sectors.

The present visit by Boungnang is a follow-up to the exchange of visits by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Laotian counterpart Khamtay Siphandone in 2000. During the 2000 visits, the two countries pledged to develop a lasting, stable relationship featuring mutual trust and comprehensive co-operation.

According to the Chinese spokesman, Boungnang said he hoped that his visit will add new momentum to the development of bilateral co-operation.

(China Daily February 5, 2002)