Laos diplomat: Cross-border e-commerce facilitates Laos-China exchange

A photo shows Vongpano Sipaseuth, Laos consul general in Nanning, as he sits down for an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online. (People's Daily Online/Tan Jiangbo)

Vongpano Sipaseuth, the consul general of Laos in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, praised the China-Laos commercial partnership while sharing his perspective on the future development of the economy and trade between the two nations, especially in the field of cross-border e-commerce in a recent interview with People's Daily Online.

Being friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, China and Laos have enjoyed mutual exchanges and harmonious relations since ancient times, fostering a strong bond, said Sipaseuth. He pointed out that over the past years, an equally strong bond has also been formed in the field of economy and trade exchange.

Sipaseuth stated that under the guidance of bilateral policies, Laos and China have strengthened trade and investment cooperation by jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt, which has continually facilitated the flow of people and goods between the two countries and enabled goods to quickly enter each other's markets. Progress has been especially clear in the field of digital trade, where the two countries have established an online transaction and payment system. This system has allowed ordering and payment processes to be finished online.

With numerous land border ports connecting to Southeast Asian countries, Guangxi is a key hub for promoting the import and export of goods between China and ASEAN. In recent years, Guangxi has hosted various trade promotion events, which created key platforms for facilitating the circulation of goods and promoting cultural exchange between China and ASEAN members, including Laos.

"In the future, I hope both countries can strengthen cooperation in the field of e-commerce technology and create more favorable conditions for this collaboration, so as to promote the vigorous development of cross-border e-commerce with advanced technology," Sipaseuth concluded.

Peng Yukai contributed to this story.