On August 31, 2015, witnessed by the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Laotian President Choummaly Sayasone, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and the Laotian Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad officially signed the Joint General Scheme of Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Joint General Scheme) on behalf of the government of the two countries.
The signing of the Joint General Scheme is an important milestone of the development of China-Laos economic and trade cooperation. In order to implement the policy of “long-term stability, good-neighborly relationship, mutual trust and comprehensive cooperation”, to promote the proposal of “One Belt and One Road” jointly, to consolidate and to develop the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership, and to enhance the level of the bilateral reciprocal cooperation, China and Laos decided to build and develop China and Laos Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone on the border of Chinese Yunnan Province and Laotian Namtha Province. This is the second cross-border economic cooperation zone established by China and the bordering country after the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Frontier Cooperation Center. It is an important measure for China and Laos to create new cooperation mode and accelerate opening up.
After coming into effect, the Joint General Scheme will further promote their advantageous economic complementarity of the two countries, facilitate trade investment and personnel communion, promote industrial cooperation, and accelerate the development of the border area of the two countries. It will benefit the border area and the people of the two countries.