Senior Chinese diplomat meets with Lao deputy prime minister

BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith in Beijing on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called on the two sides to implement the strategic consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries, carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust, and synergize development strategies to lift bilateral ties to a new level.

"China is ready to work with Laos to uphold ASEAN centrality, uphold open regionalism, safeguard our shared home, and create a better environment for regional development and revitalization," Wang said.

For his part, Saleumxay said Laos is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, jointly build a high-quality Belt and Road, construct a Laos-China community with a shared future, and promote the development of the cause of socialism.