On April 10, the China-Laos Seminar on Poverty Alleviation and Common Development, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Luang Prabang, the Laos-China Friendship Association (LCFA) and the Luang Prabang Provincial Government, was successfully held in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Yang Wanming, President of the CPAFFC, Zhang Hequn, Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Luang Prabang, and Siriphone Souphanthong, Vice Governor of Luang Prabang, attended and addressed the seminar. Bamjan Sapvang, former Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos and Member of the LCFA, attended the event. Nearly 100 people attended the seminar, including representatives from prefectures, cities, counties, towns and villages in Zhejiang, Hunan, Yunnan and other relevant provinces, as well as heads of the five provincial governments of Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsali, Louang Namtha, and Houaphanh in Laos, along with representatives of departments at all levels and enterprises.

(Speech by President Yang Wanming)

Yang Wanming said that since its founding in 1921, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has remained true to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and has united and led the people to fight for a better life over the decades. In the new era, standing at the strategic height of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put poverty alleviation at the top of his work agenda. He has presented a series of important ideas and proposals, and made some major policy decisions. He has led the CPC and the Chinese government to establish a whole set of effective policies, working mechanisms and systems, forming a Chinese theory on fighting poverty and pioneering a unique Chinese path to poverty reduction. In 2021, President Xi Jinping declared that China had secured a comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty, achieving the poverty alleviation goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule. This miracle has made a significant contribution to the cause of global poverty reduction, and has also provided Chinese insight and solutions for the global governance of poverty reduction.

Yang Wanming said that China and Laos are socialist comrades and brothers. Poverty alleviation and reduction, a vital part of the exchange of experience in Party building and state governance between China and Laos, is also a priority area of practical cooperation between the two countries. The CPAFFC stands ready to work with people from all sectors of society in Laos to actively implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries and guiding principles of the 2024-2028 action plan between the CPC and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) on building a China-Laos community with a shared future. It will promote China-Laos poverty alleviation experience sharing, exchanges and cooperation at the people-to-people and subnational levels to create more success stories of China-Laos poverty alleviation demonstration cooperation. It will leverage the China-Laos Railway as a golden corridor to advance the process of regional integration. It will give full play to the role of China-Laos sister cities and such mechanisms as the Forum on Lancang-Mekong Local Government Cooperation to strive for new progress in subnational practical cooperation. Additionally, continued efforts will be made to strengthen personnel exchanges at all levels and in various fields, support people-to-people exchanges in border areas, and deepen good-neighborliness and friendship between China and Laos.

Zhang Hequn introduced the fruitful cooperation between China and Laos in the field of poverty reduction, especially the Eight Major Aid Projects to Support Laos announced by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit to Laos in 2017. He added that China's achievements show that no country or nation is destined to be poor. China can end poverty, so can Laos. China is ready to work with Laos to take development as the fundamental approach to poverty eradication, strengthen policy dialogue and experience sharing on poverty reduction, establish a regular exchange mechanism, continue to deepen cooperation in agriculture, tourism, infrastructure building and vocational skills training, and help Laos shift from direct aid provision to capacity-building assistance.

(From left to right: Siriphone Souphanthong, Vice Governor of Luang Prabang, Zhang Hequn, Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Luang Prabang, and Shi Jintong, Alternate Member of the 20th CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Shibadong Village Party Branch, Shuanglong Town, Hunan Province)

Siriphone Souphanthong gave a brief introduction to the economic and social development of Luang Prabang and said that the seminar will further promote the implementation of the latest version of the action plan for building a China-Laos community with a shared future signed by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries. Rural development and poverty alleviation are strategic tasks of the LPRP and the Lao government. China's valuable experience in poverty eradication provides important inspiration for Laos. Development-oriented poverty alleviation constitutes not only a key pillar of Laos-China bilateral collaboration but also a focus in their subregional partnership. Laos highly appreciates the Chinese government's attention to and support for poverty alleviation cooperation under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) framework, and thanks China for its robust support and assistance to Laos' cause of poverty alleviation. As good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners, Luang Prabang is willing to deepen cooperation and friendship with Chinese provinces and cities, learn from China's experience in poverty alleviation, and make big strides in poverty reduction.

Zheng Xinyou, Vice Mayor of Huzhou City and Executive Vice President of the Huzhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Shi Jintong, Alternate Member of the 20th CPC Central Committee, Member of the 12th CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, Deputy Mayor of Shuanglong Town, and Secretary of the Party Branch and Chief of Shibadong Village, Shuanglong Town; Dong Jun, Deputy Secretary-General of the General Office of the People's Government of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province; Lu Zhou, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture; Yi Yang, Deputy Director of Luang Prabang's Department of  Agriculture and Forest; and Saiyavong Thavixay, Deputy Director of Luang Prabang's Department of Public Works and Transport, respectively shared the experience and achievements of poverty alleviation of their places. With a focus on the idea of targeted poverty alleviation, they fully exchanged views and put forward constructive suggestions on strengthening mutual learning and sharing, deepening practical cooperation, achieving common development, and adding new dimensions to the China-Laos community with a shared future.