Interview: China on track for strong economy and high-quality growth, says Lao expert

VIENTIANE, March 27 (Xinhua) -- China is progressing toward a new economic path while maintaining a steady recovery by implementing its new development philosophy, according to an expert.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Yong Chanthalangsy, Representative of Laos to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), expressed his belief in the Chinese leadership to strengthen economic recovery and promote high-quality development.

China's economy rebounded in 2023, with an annual gross domestic product growth of 5.2 percent. Meanwhile, China has set an economic growth target of around 5 percent for 2024.

Yong believes China's goal of bringing its economy into the new era is achievable.

"If we consider the post COVID-19 era, we can see that China is coming back robustly. I think China's new vision and measures will be attainable," he said.

Since ASEAN is a strategic partner of China, a strong Chinese economy would benefit the entire bloc, Yong added.

Yong said that previously, China's economy primarily focused on low-value-added exports. However, "with the new policy and new vision, China will shift from exporting low-value products to high-value products, such as high-tech innovative products and electric vehicles."

Noting that China has made significant progress in digitalization and green development amid the global challenge of climate change, Yong said China remains committed to addressing global challenges with the international community.

"If we look at China during the past 20 years, we can see that China has made tremendous efforts in developing a clean economy and clean industries," said Yong, adding that China has done plenty to "deal with the highly polluting industries."

"I am very hopeful that if the Chinese government introduces all the measures to protect the environment, we will also benefit from these measures," he said.