By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-31 06:38

VIENTIANE: China and Laos inked seven agreements Sunday opening the way for more cooperation on trade, investment and infrastructure construction.

The deals consisted of trade and aid, which will help Laos on its road construction, power generation and e-government.

Lao President Choummaly Saygnasone (R) meets with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Vientiane, capital of Laos, on Sunday, March 30, 2008. [Xinhua]

The China Export and Import Bank also offered $100 million in export buyer's credit for projects concerning the purchase of helicopters and vehicles.

Premier Wen Jiabao and his Laotian counterpart Bouasone Bouphavanh witnessed the signing ceremony after an hour-long meeting.

Wen was on a half-day working visit to Laos Sunday and will then attend the third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit Monday in Vientiane.

The first two GMS summits were held in Cambodia's Phnom Penh in 2002 and China's Kunming in 2005. The GMS region covers 2.57 million sq km and 320 million people.

Statistics showed the volume of bilateral trade was $249 million last year and China's imports from Laos were worth a total of $85 million, rising more than six-fold over 2004.

Wen said China is willing to further increase its imports from Laos and support Chinese enterprises to invest in Laos.

Wen called for stepping up personnel exchanges, especially among people living on the China-Laos border, to boost the local economy, adding the two sides should strengthen cooperation in personnel training, education and technology.

Wen also called on Lao President Choummaly Saygnasone Sunday to discuss future cooperation.

Choummaly spoke highly of bilateral ties, saying Laotian people are proud of their friendship with China and appreciated China's long-term support and assistance to its economic development.

Wen also met Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej Sunday and called for closer ties between the two countries, including growing bilateral trade to $50 billion and investment to $6.5 billion by 2010.

Mekong development

Premier Wen Jiabao made a commitment to a vision of growth in the Greater Mekong Subregion, where the ecosystem is the foundation of development.

"The Mekong River has nurtured millions of people, and we must attach great importance to the reasonable development of water resources," Wen told reporters, after attending the GMS Youth Forum Sunday.

He said the development should improve living standards such as creating jobs.

He also said young people are the main force of subregional development and pledged to create another 200 scholarships for students from its other five countries from this year in China.

As part of the Third GMS Summit, the forum brought together 37 young people from the six countries sharing the Mekong River to deliver a message to attending prime ministers and other officials.

The youth asked their leaders for greater focus on educational opportunities and skills development, more support for health programs and access to healthcare, and better environmental protection.