Wang Yi Meets with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith

On August 3, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith on the sidelines of the series of foreign ministers' meetings on East Asia Cooperation in Phnom Penh.

Wang Yi noted that China-Laos relations now enjoy strong momentum of development, with strategic mutual trust further consolidated and practical cooperation bearing fruitful results. The top leaders of the two parties and two countries personally announced the completion and opening of the China-Laos Railway, which elevated bilateral exchanges and cooperation to a new level and injected new impetus into the construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor. As good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners, China and Laos should follow the direction set by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, deepen strategic communication and coordination, and promote greater progress in building an unbreakable China-Laos community with a shared future. The two sides should firmly stick to the direction of socialism, deepen experience sharing in party and state governance, jointly enhance governance capacity, and promote respective national development and socialist causes.

Saleumxay thanked China for its long-standing support and assistance for Laos' economic and social development, noting that working in concert, the two countries have overcome the challenges of the pandemic and achieved remarkable results in practical cooperation, which shows that mutual support through thick and thin is the defining feature of bilateral relations. The Lao side attaches great importance to learning from China's useful experience in state governance and looks forward to strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields and building well the Laos-China community with a shared future.

Saleumxay said the recent provocative acts of the United States on the Taiwan question have breached its commitments, violated basic norms governing international relations and infringed upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promptly issued a statement, reaffirming its commitment to the one-China principle and reiterating that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Laos opposes any attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan", and will continue to stand firm with China in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Wang Yi stressed that the United States, driven by its self-serving interests, has acted unscrupulously and by hook or by crook, with no regard to the basic norms governing international relations, and has blatantly violated China's sovereignty. Its national credibility has completely gone bankrupt. China will make firm and necessary responses to the US retrogressive acts of "using Taiwan to contain China". Any attempt by the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" to "look for U.S. support for their independence agenda" is doomed to fail, and will cause the greatest damage to the safety of the people in Taiwan.

Wang Yi noted that mutual trust and support are essential to the China-Laos community with a shared future. The Chinese side appreciates Laos' just position and will continue to strengthen solidarity with Laos to firmly support each other in safeguarding legitimate rights and development space, and uphold international fairness and justice.