by Liu Ting

The year 2026 marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Laos as well as the Year of China-Laos Friendship.

Sharing weal and woe for the past 65 years, China and Laos enjoy a friendship that is rooted in the geographical proximity connected by mountains and rivers, tempered by the joint struggle for independence and liberation, and enriched by mutual support in their respective socialist causes.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties on April 25, 1961, the two sides have always adhered to the principle of long-term stability, good-neighborliness, mutual trust and all-round cooperation, and firmly supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, setting an example of equal treatment and mutual assistance between countries.

In the new era, the construction of a China-Laos community with a shared future has been deepened. The 2024-2028 action plan on building a China-Laos community with a shared future signed in October 2023 has drawn up a clear blueprint for all-round cooperation.

Connectivity paves the way for win-win cooperation, and the China-Laos Railway stands as a landmark of friendship. As a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the railway has continued to unleash the efficiency of a "golden corridor" since its opening.

By the end of March 2026, the cumulative passenger trips of the entire line had exceeded 70 million, and the cargo transportation volume had surpassed 80 million tons, including over 18 million tons of cross-border cargo. The average daily number of cross-border trains has increased from 2 at the initial stage to a peak of 23, truly transforming Laos from a "land-locked country" to a "land-linked country" and injecting strong impetus into the stability and smooth flow of regional industrial and supply chains.

Economic and trade cooperation yields fruitful results for mutual benefit, and practical cooperation benefits the people of both countries. China has maintained its status as Laos' largest source of foreign investment and major export market for many consecutive years.

In 2025, the bilateral trade volume reached 9.817 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 19.3 percent; China's cumulative investment in Laos exceeded 18 billion dollars, covering infrastructure, energy, agriculture, digital economy and other fields. More than 80 percent of Laos' agricultural exports are sold to China, and specialty products such as rubber, durian and high-quality rice reach the Chinese market directly via the railway, with tangible benefits to people's livelihoods.

Platforms such as the Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone and the Saysettha Development Zone have been upgraded; cross-border industrial cooperation, customs clearance facilitation and single-window cooperation have been continuously deepened; and the zero-tariff arrangement for 100 percent of Lao products exported to China has been implemented effectively. The achievements of cooperation are visible and tangible.

People-to-people exchanges consolidate the foundation of public support, and the legacy of friendship is passed down from generation to generation. Since the launch of the Year of China-Laos Friendship, a series of down-to-earth and well-received activities have been held one after another, including the release of the theme logo for the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic ties, the "Happy Spring Festival" temple fair in Vientiane, China-Laos youth exchange groups visiting Yunnan, Spring Festival galas celebrating friendship, the "Brightness Action" medical public welfare program, and the joint research and development of the Lao national large language model.

Tens of thousands of Lao students study in China, and interactions between youth, media, local governments and cultural tourism sectors of the two countries are frequent. From "sitting in the same classroom" to "watching the same performance," from skills training to cultural exchange and mutual learning, the two peoples have drawn closer and the foundation of friendship has been strengthened.

Through strategic coordination, the two sides jointly uphold multilateralism and safeguard regional peace and prosperity. As developing countries, China and Laos have always practiced true multilateralism, coordinated closely within frameworks such as the United Nations, China-ASEAN and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, jointly opposed hegemonism, bullying and bloc confrontation, and firmly safeguarded international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries.

At present, China-Laos relations are at their best in history. As the two countries mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the Year of China-Laos Friendship, they will continue to move forward under high-level strategic guidance, deepen connectivity, expand economic and trade cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

Editor's note: Liu Ting is a professor at Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences & Chinese (Kunming) Academy of South and Southeast Asia Studies, and also serves as director of its International Collaboration Center.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Xinhua News Agency.