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At the invitation of the CPAFFC， a delegation of the Laos-China Friendship Association (LCFA) led by Paouthong Seng Akhom， chairman of the Lao National Sports Committee and vice president of the LCFA， paid a visit to Beijing， Dalian， Shenzhen and Kunming from June 23 to 30.

Abudul’ahat Abdurixit， vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)， met with the delegation. The delegation paid an official call on Yuan Weimin， director general of the General Administration of Sport， and had a talk with the relevant personages of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG). Chen Haosu and Wang Yunze， president and vice president of the CPAFFC， entertained the delegation.

In meeting with the delegation， CPPCC Vice Chairman Abdul’ahat said， China and Laos are joined by common mountains and rivers. Since ancient times， the people of the two countries have got on well with each other. In the cause of their long-term struggle for national liberation and construction， they sympathize with and support each other， which has made the long-standing and well-established friendly relations between our two countries more consolidated. In the past over forty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries， bilateral relations have developed into good-neighbourly relations characterized by “mutual dependence， mutual support， equality， non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and sincere cooperation”. The visit to Laos by Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 2000 and the visit to China by the chairman of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and Lao President Khamtay Siphandone in 2003 pointed out the direction of developing friendly cooperation between the two countries in the new century and set the concrete goals for the various fields of cooperation. In recent years， bilateral trade volume has increased considerably. In February 2002， Lao Prime Minister Bourgnang Vorachith paid an official visit to China. The two sides reached extensive common consensus in economic and trade cooperation. The prime ministers of the two countries designated cooperation in agriculture and forestry， exploitation of mineral resources and construction of infrastructure as the key areas of economic and trade cooperation. China is willing to discuss with Laos on the ways and projects of cooperation that are needed by and beneficial and conducive to Laos’ long-term economic development. Along with the establishment of free trade zone between China and the ASEAN， the cooperation between China and Laos will have very broad prospects.

Paouthong said， the Lao people regard the achievements made by China as their own achievements. China’s success is an encouragement and impetus to Laos. The Chinese Government has given aid to Laos’ economic development. While other countries reduced their investment in Laos， China has increased its investment， helping boost Laos’ economy. Every year a great number of Lao leading officials and students come to China to study. In the new century， Laos and China have cooperated more closely， and the LCFA has done its part for this. It often organizes activities to help the Lao people know about China and promote economic and trade cooperation between the businessmen of the two countries. Though at present Laos still has some difficulties， its economic growth rate from 2002 to 2003 reached 5.9 percent. Now Laos has totally prohibited opium growing， especially strengthened its efforts to crack down on drug production in the northern part of the country. The goal of the Lao Government is to eradicate poverty in 2010 and to cast off the label of an underdeveloped country in 2020.

During its visit in Dalian， Shenzhen and Kunming， the delegation admired China’s rapid social and economic development. Especially when learning that Shenzhen， originally a small fishing village with a population of less than 30，000， had developed into a modern city with a population of more than 5 million， Paouthong said admiringly that it was Deng Xiaoping， the chief architect of China’s reform and opening up， that had created the wonder of Shenzhen in the contemporary era.