Chinese Premier Holds Talks With Laotian Counterpart ����China and Laos have agreed to build a long-term, stable, mutually trusting, good-neighborly and cooperative relationship well into the 21st century. ����This was announced January 25 after talks between Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and Sisavat Keobounphan, prime minister of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos. ����Zhu first extended his welcome to Sisavat, who is making his first visit to China since becoming prime minister. "This year marks the 10th anniversary of normalization of relations between our two countries. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, the traditional friendship and cooperative ties between the two countries and the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP) of Laos have seen full recovery and further development during the past decade," Zhu said. ����According to Zhu, the two countries have resolved the border issues left by history in a "short period of time" and have also cooperated well on regional and international issues. ����Zhu extended his gratitude to Laos for its adherence to the "One China" policy, saying that China appreciates this stand. He also expressed thanks for Laos' aid to China's flood-relief effort last year. ����Sisavat said he is delighted to visit China, a sincere friend of Laos. He briefed his Chinese host on the Laotian domestic situation and future development goals, and highly commended China's important and positive role in regional and international affairs. ����He said he considers China's achievements made over the past 20 years "an encouragement" to all China-friendly countries, including Laos. ����On bilateral ties, the Lao prime minister said that the two countries and parties have seen all-round development which has yielded tangible results. "China's economic aid to Laos played an important part in our economic construction," he noted. ����He said he hopes the two countries, which are close neighbors, will further strengthen and deepen cooperation in all fields and build stable and mutually trustful good-neighborly relations. ����Zhu said he was pleased to know of the achievements made by Laos in developing its national economy and improving people's livelihood. He said the two countries are friendly neighbors and socialist countries. "Also, both adhere to the socialist road and have adopted the reform and opening-up policy," he said, adding that the two can learn from each other in many ways in promoting socio-economic development. ����He said that the CPC and the Chinese government have always highly valued the Sino-Laotian friendship and are willing to further cooperation in all fields on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. ����Zhu said China is ready to make joint efforts to build 21st-century oriented, stable and mutually trustful ties. ����Zhu also briefed the guests on China's current economic situation and development prospects. ����Sisavat invited Zhu to visit Laos at his convenience, and Zhu accepted the invitation with pleasure. HomeNews 1999-01-26 Page1 Full Story in Chinese