On November 20, 2006, Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President, met with Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh in Vientiane.

Recent years have witnessed all-round and in-depth development of relations between the two parties and the two countries, marked by the mutual political trust and mutually-beneficial economic cooperation between them and mutual support in international affairs, the Chinese leader noted. China and the Laos are true good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners and the Sino-Lao friendship has become the common treasure of the two peoples, he said.

Speaking highly of Sino-Lao relations, Bouasone noted the excellent cooperation between the two countries in politics, defense, public security and diplomacy, and he said their trade and economic ties are also growing fast. Chinese investment in Laos is helping the country to give fuller play to its economic advantages as well as its poverty relief efforts, Bouasone said. Bilateral cooperation in large projects is conducive to cementing the country's economic basis and the two sides have conducted dynamic cooperation in education, health and culture, he noted. The Lao side deeply thanks for the Chinese people's precious support, either in Laos's revolutionary cause in the past or today's national development.

President Hu said there is a good momentum for the development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation and the trade volume is expected to make new breakthroughs this year. He said what the countries should do next is tap the potentials of cooperation and raise the cooperation level. Hu called for expanding bilateral trade and hoped that Laos will make full use of the tariff-free treatment granted to 330 products, develop marketable products and increase exports to China. He also suggested the two sides deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. He vowed the Chinese government will encourage more competitive businesses to cooperate with the Lao side and hoped that the two governments provide necessary facilitation in this regard. Hu also urged the Lao side to make better use of Chinese aid with the aim of developing economy, improving independent capacity building and promoting trade cooperation. Hu called for closer trade cooperation in the border areas with a focus on substitute planting so as to promote economic growth and social stability in the border areas.

Bouasone said Hu's visit has brought the existing friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries to a new height, adding that the Lao central and local governments would implement in real earnest the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries regarding cooperation in various areas, strengthen close coordination and cooperation between the cooperation committees and raise the level of economic and trade cooperation.

Wang Gang, Alternate Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and other accompanying officials attended the meeting.

On the morning of the same day, Hu called on the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Laos, and representatives from Chinese-funded institutions and overseas Chinese.