On the morning of November 27, the 2023 Economic and Trade Cooperation Work Promotion Meeting between Yangpu District People's Government and the Department of Trade Promotion, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos & Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo Opening Ceremony were held at the Shanghai Fashion Center. This is an important co-construction achievement following the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on Jointly Constructing a High-level Economic and Trade Cooperation Platform between Yangpu District People's Government and the Department of Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos at the 5th CIIE on November 6, 2022, which will become an important carrier of the high-level economic and trade cooperation platform between Yangpu and Laos and promote the cooperation between the two sides to take a new step forward and open a new chapter.

Manothong Vongsay, Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Zhou Hanmin, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, Xue Kan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yangpu District, and Bouaphat Phouthavong, Consul General of Laos in Shanghai, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Present at the meeting were Xaysomphet Norasingh, Director General of the Department of Intellectual Property (former Department of Trade Promotion) of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Deputy Director General of the Department of Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Deputy Director General of the Department of Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, Deputy Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of Champasak Province, Vice-Consul of Laos in Shanghai,  Xu Guowu, President of the Lao Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Zhou Zhengyu, Vice President of the Laos-China Cooperation Committee, and other Laotian representatives. The meeting was chaired by Zhou Haiying, Deputy Secretary of Yangpu District Committee and Mayor of the District, and attended by Ge Hong, Chief Financial Officer of China International Import Expo Bureau, Luo Zhisong, Chief Economist of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Mr. Shi Fang, Vice Mayor of Yangpu District, Shan Pei, Vice Mayor of Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, Yu Jianyong, Vice Mayor of Huaihua City, Hunan Province, Guo Huaiguang, Deputy Secretary General of Kunming Municipal Government, Yunnan Province, Yao Lingzhen, Vice President of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Wang Gang, member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of China International Economic Consultants Co., Ltd., and Zhu Yi, Vice President of Orient International (Holding) Co., Ltd.

On behalf of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Manothong Vongsay expressed his warm congratulations on the successful convening of the 2023 Economic and Trade Cooperation Work Promotion Meeting and the grand opening of the Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo, and also expressed his heartfelt thanks to the relevant departments and units of the Chinese side for their strong support for and extensive attention to this event. He pointed out that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos attaches great importance to the construction and promotion of the Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo, and hoped that relying on this carrier, it can fully display the history and culture of Laos, as well as the latest and best quality products and services to the Chinese people, and help Laos develop the economic and trade market in China, and sign more agreements on trade and business cooperation. In the future, it is expected that the Lao Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo will become an important base for political and cultural exchanges between the governments of Laos and China, and it is also expected that the two countries will use it as a platform to seek opportunities for closer dialog and exchanges, and work together to promote in-depth cooperation between the two sides in economy and trade, investment, tourism, health, education and other fields.

Zhou Hanmin pointed out that the Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo is a new development of the great friendship between the Chinese and Lao people. The Lao government and people have always paid attention to, participated in and supported the reform and opening-up of China and Shanghai, and the Lao Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo is a perennial exhibition and trading service platform of "6 days + 365 days" of the CIIE, realizing the spillover effect of the CIIE. China-Laos cooperation is a new and unique demonstration of close cooperation. It is hoped that China-Laos cooperation will be steady and far-reaching, attracting more subjects to discuss and build new ways and means to promote China-Laos cooperation, and facilitating the implementation of more projects benefiting both China and Laos with worldwide influence. China-Laos cooperation is a new model of cooperation under the RCEP framework. It is hoped that the two sides will further utilize their unique advantages under the framework of RCEP, and make the economic and trade cooperation between China and Lao, and between China and Lao and other member countries of RCEP better and greater.

Xue Kan expressed his heartfelt congratulations on the signing of the relevant cooperation projects, and hoped that all parties would take the signing as an opportunity to resonate with the same frequency and make efforts in the same direction, accelerate the implementation of the cooperation projects, and contribute more wisdom and strength to the construction of the Belt and Road and the China-Laos community with a shared future. We should work together to build a model window for China-Laos cooperation. The functions of the Laos Pavilion should be continuously expanded, so that it becomes a demonstration window and two-way communication platform for economic and trade investment and cooperation between Yangpu and Laos, and continue to amplify the spillover effect of the CIIE. We should jointly build an important engine for the construction of the Belt and Road. We will continue to strengthen the trade chain, logistics chain, industry chain and talent chain between China and Laos, and help build an upgraded version of the Belt and Road construction between China and Laos. We should jointly build an important platform for linking global resources. We should jointly organize relevant cooperation forums to build a high-level cooperation and exchange platform for expanding economic and trade exchanges with ASEAN countries and the world.

Bouaphat Phouthavong said that China and Laos are good neighbors connected by mountains and waters, and with the opening and operation of the China-Laos Railway and the entry into force and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the two countries have achieved remarkable results in terms of facility connectivity, smooth trade, and people-to-people exchanges. The Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo in Yangpu, Shanghai will be an important part of the exhibition and promotion of Lao agricultural products and commodities in China, so that the Chinese people can have a better understanding of Laos. At the same time, it will also vividly present the national image of Laos, demonstrate the friendship between China and Laos, and become an important platform and main window to show the achievements of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The two sides are expected to take this opportunity to promote the implementation of more cooperation projects, and jointly write a new chapter of cooperation between Laos and China.

On the spot, both sides reviewed and summarized the achievements made in the past year in expanding trade, enhancing consumption, capacity cooperation, platform building, etc. The two governments and related enterprises signed five cooperation project agreements, covering the construction of new channels for international economic and trade cooperation, intelligent manufacturing with the green low-carbon industry connection, the construction of ASEAN special commodities trading platform, "Silk Road E-commerce" international cooperation and other aspects of cooperation in various fields. As a pragmatic measure for China and Laos to promote the implementation of the "Memorandum of Cooperation on the List of Priority Projects and Tasks for the Joint Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative", this batch of cooperation projects serves as an innovative practice to help Shanghai build the pilot zone for "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation.

After the meeting, the Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo was unveiled in a grand opening ceremony, and the leaders jointly pushed the lever to unveil the mystery of the pavilion.

It is reported that the Laos Economic and Trade Cooperation Expo, which was officially settled in Yangpu, is the first physical project of the two sides to build a high-level economic and trade cooperation platform. The expo is the first high-level exhibition set up by Laos in the world to comprehensively display the results of economic and trade cooperation of Laos, displaying the image of Laos, the friendship between China and Laos, the results of cooperation, as well as Laotian and ASEAN specialty commodities in a "6 days + 365 days" manner, and continuously expanding the spillover effect of the CIIE. At the same time, Yangpu District will take advantage of the development of Yangpu Riverside to expand the function of the Laos Pavilion, brand the services of the Laos Pavilion, attract more partner countries of the "Belt and Road" to set up pavilions in Yangpu Riverside through pragmatic cooperation, and attract more ASEAN economic and trade cooperation enterprises to gather in Yangpu, so as to further demonstrate the international image of Yangpu's openness and cooperation and increase the international influence and popularity of Yangpu.