Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met visiting Laotian President Choummaly Saygnasone on Thursday, pledging to strengthen ties with the country and step up cooperation in various areas.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting Laotian President Choummaly Saygnasone in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 10, 2009.[Xinhua]

"The Communist Party of China would like to work closely with the Laotian People's Revolutionary Party to enrich channels for bilateral cooperation, to make a greater contribution to the two countries' socialist building," Xi said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Choummaly agreed on Wednesday to lift bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership and pledged to boost relations between the two countries and their ruling parties.

Xi said the decision of the two state leaders to upgrade bilateral ties had reflected the common wishes of the two peoples and unveiled new prospects for closer cooperation in all fields.

Choummaly, also secretary general of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, spoke highly of his fruitful talks with Hu, adding the upgrading of bilateral ties is of important strategic significance to boosting friendship between the two countries and peoples.

"The CPC and the government have taken efficient measures to counter the global economic downturn, and maintained steady and relatively fast economic growth," he said, which revealed the advantage of the socialist system and contributed to regional economic development.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2009)