Chinese President Meets Lao Prime Minister 　　Chinese President Jiang Zemin met visiting Lao Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphan at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on the afternoon of January 26. 　　Jiang said he was delighted to make acquaintance with Sisavat and asked him to convey cordial greetings and good-will to Khamtay Siphandone, the Lao state president and president of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. 　　Sisavat passed on reciprocal greetings from President Khamtay to Jiang. 　　He told Jiang that he and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji held very good talks yesterday in which the two sides reached wide consensus. According to Sisavat, the two countries reviewed the progress made in bilateral cooperation and outlined the framework for furthering the bilateral relationship in the future. "My visit can be said to be crowned with success," he added. 　　As close neighbors, Jiang told the guests, the two countries cemented deep friendship during the long-term revolutionary struggle and construction. He was pleased to see the further expansion of Sino-Laotian traditional friendship. With mutual understanding and support, the two countries also carried out successful cooperation in regional and international affairs, he noted. 　　"There is neither a historical problem nor any real divergence and disputes between the two countries," Jiang said, adding that this provided a sound foundation and bright prospects for the growth of bilateral ties. "The Chinese Communist Party and government have always attached importance to Sino-Laotian ties. As the new century is approaching, China is willing to make common efforts with its Laotian comrades for the establishment of long-term, stable, mutually trusting and good-neighborly cooperative ties between the two countries," he said. 　　Also, he believed Sisavat's China visit will push forward the development of friendly and cooperative ties between the two parties and the two countries. 　　During the meeting Jiang briefed the guests on China's progress during the two decades of the reform and opening-up drive and detailed future development goals. 　　Sisavat told the Chinese host, "We are happy to see the great socialist construction achievements made by China by applying the new theory created by the late Comrade Deng Xiaoping. Laos has paid close attention to the rich experience accumulated by the Chinese Party and government during the process of reform and opening-up and hopes the two sides can strengthen mutual exchanges in the future." HomeNews 1999-01-27 Page1 Full Story in Chinese