Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan met with his Lao counterpart Somsavat Lengsavad in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province on Thursday, pledging to strengthen bilateral trade ties and boost cooperation in pivotal areas such as infrastructure and energy.

Somsavat is in Chengdu to attend the eighth Western China International Economy and Trade Fair, which opened on Thursday.

Zeng applauded the progress of Sino-Lao relations in recent years, saying political trust had been strengthened and trade cooperation achieved remarkable progress.

He said the two countries are highly complementary in economy, and enjoy great potential in trade cooperation.

"China will continue to carry out cooperation agreements signed between the two sides during President Hu Jintao's state visit to Laos last year," Zeng added.

He said China will step up bilateral cooperation with Laos in key areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, energy, mining and tourism. China also hopes to strengthen economic and trade relations with Laos and other countries through the fair.

Somsavat spoke highly of the progress of Laos-China relations and pledged to further improve bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various areas.

Source: Xinhua