Engaging in consultations and coordination with China will enable Laos to draw more fully on China's useful experience in advancing its own national development, Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and president of Laos, said on Wednesday.
Thongloun arrived in Hangzhou on Tuesday for a five-day state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG), the visiting leader stressed the importance for Laos to draw more on China's development experience.
"In terms of implementing economic and social development plans, this year happens to be the first year of a new five-year plan period for both of our countries. Against this backdrop, the two sides will engage in consultations and coordination on relevant matters, so that Laos can draw more fully on China's useful experience in advancing its own national development and achieve the goals of its own five-year plan on schedule. Of course, these goals are highly challenging. But we must stay focused and work in a practical way, with emphasis on building an independent and self-reliant economy," he said.
Noting that China's support for Laos is consistent, Thongloun expressed hope that the two sides will continue to coordinate and support each other in the years ahead.
"China has always, without fail, supported and assisted us, whether in funding, technology, development experience, or the organization and implementation of economic and social development plans. In all these areas, China's accumulation of resources and experience is far richer than Laos'. The two sides will remain in close coordination, helping and supporting one another. This direction will not change in the future. The Chinese comrades care about Laos, hold it dear in their thoughts, and attach great importance to it. They have always given us steadfast support," he said.
Laos to draw on China’s experience to advance its development: Lao president
The newly upgraded Huanggang Port connecting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland recorded more than 3.44 million inbound and outbound passenger trips in its first month of operation, averaging 114,000 per day -- a 120 percent year-on-year increase, as Shenzhen prepares for the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week.
With the event approaching, all 25 APEC-dedicated channels across Shenzhen's ports in south China have been opened to facilitate the entry of participants and media from APEC member economies.
The upgraded Huanggang Port is operating smoothly, with its single-day passenger flow recently hitting the highest level since 2019.
At Huanggang Port, travelers now only need to queue once and present their documents once to complete immigration procedures for both sides.
"Usually it takes about one minute to go through customs on both sides. My fastest time was 36 seconds," said a passenger from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Huanggang Port is the only 24-hour land passenger port between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Since November, Shenzhen's ports have opened a total of 25 APEC-dedicated inspection channels. Among them, the Huanggang Border Inspection Station has processed 14,000 trips of foreign nationals from APEC economies, a month-on-month increase of 102 percent. "Facing the continuous high passenger flow, the Huanggang Border Inspection Station has strengthened early warning and analysis, continuously enhanced communication and coordination with the Hong Kong side, cross-border operating units, and foreign affairs departments, and reinforced our multilingual service team to ensure efficient and smooth customs clearance," said Yang Huan, staff member at the Huanggang Border Inspection Station.
As China's largest single port building and the world's largest land port complex, the facility covers a total floor area of 689,700 square meters, featuring four underground and five above-ground floors.
The original Huanggang Port, which opened in 1989, was China's first large-scale land port with 24-hour clearance. Reconstruction on the original site began in 2019 to meet the surging demand for cross-border passage.
Upgraded Huanggang Port handles over 3.44 million passenger trips in first month
