 | |
 China |  Laos |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of China, Vientiane | Embassy of Laos, Beijing |
Chinese-Laotian relations (Lao:ສາຍພົວພັນ ລາວ-ຈີນ,simplified Chinese:中老关系;traditional Chinese:中寮關係) refers to thecurrent and historical relationship betweenLao People's Democratic Republic and thePeople's Republic of China.
TheLao kingdom ofLan Xang and its successor states weretributaries ofMing and laterQing China. In the late 15th century, the Chinesebacked Lan Xang against their common rival, theVietnamese. Chinese traders operated in Lan Xang like any otherSoutheast Asian country, however, Lan Xang also proved to be important as a participant in theTea-Horse Road trade.
Relations between the two states were re-established in 1953 with theRepublic of China (Nationalist China or Taiwan) as the sole legitimate government of China. On 25 April 1961, Laos switched recognition to the PRC government in Beijing.[1] However, on 16 May 1962, the royal government severed diplomatic relations with the PRC and restored relations with the Republic of China. Recognition was changed again in 1975 when the new Lao communist government re-established relations with the PRC.[2]
Vietnam's invasion ofCambodia in December 1978 to unseat theKhmer Rouge regime provoked China into a limited invasion of Vietnam—approximately nineteen kilometers deep—to "teach Vietnam a lesson." Laos was caught in a dangerous bind, not wanting to further provoke China, but not able to oppose its special partner, Vietnam. The Laotian leadership survived the dilemma by making slightly delayed pronouncements in support of Vietnam after some intraparty debate and by sharply reducingdiplomatic relations with China to thechargé d'affaires level—without a full break. The low point in China-Laotian relations came in 1979, with reports of Chinese assistance and training ofHmong resistance forces under GeneralVang Pao in China'sYunnan Province.[3]
This hostile relationship gradually softened, however, and in 1989 Diplomatic and party-to-party relations were normalized, and Prime MinisterKaysone Phomvihane paid a state visit toBeijing. In 1991 Kaysone chose to spend his vacation in China rather than make his customary visit to theSoviet Union. Trade expanded from the local sale of consumer goods to the granting of eleven investment licenses in 1991—including an automotive assembly plant. Following the establishment of the Laotian-Chinese Joint Border Committee in 1991, meetings held during 1992 resulted in an agreement delineating their common border. China's commercial investments and trade with Laos expanded quietly, but not dramatically, in 1993 and 1994.[3]
In November 2010, Laos and China signed a security cooperation agreement.[4]: 159 CCP general secretaryXi Jinping held talks withLPRP general secretaryBounnhang Vorachit in 2016, seeking further coordination in international affairs.[5] In June 2020, Laos was one of 53 countries that backed theHong Kong national security law at theUnited Nations.[6]
Relations have consisted oftrade andaid, largely focused on road construction in the northern provinces of Laos, without directly challenging the interests ofThailand orVietnam in the central and southern regions. China remains Laos' largest creditor, accounting for approximately half of Laos' government debt as of 2023.[7]
TheGolden Triangle Special Economic Zone is a significant point of economic contact between China and Laos.[8]: 103 The Chinese firm Kings Romans group was granted a 99-year lease to develop theSEZ into a gambling and tourist destination.[8]: 103
Effective 1 December 2024, China eliminatedtariffs for goods imported from all of the countries that the United Nations categorizes asleast developed and with which China has diplomatic relations, including Laos.[9]
In 2015, Laos joined the People's Republic of China global infrastructure project theBelt and Road Initiative (BRI).[citation needed] During a 2017 visit to Vientiane by Xi, the two countries announced the Laos-China Economic Corridor.[10]: 129 The most important BRI project in Laos is theVientiane-Boten Railway which was completed in 2021.[11]: 212 It runs from the capital of Laos to the Chinese border.[11]: 212 It is part of the broader China-Laos Railway, which the two countries operate as a joint venture through the Laos-China Railway Company.[10]: 129 Like China, Laos is a major supporter of thePan-Asian Railway, given its desire to move from a land-locked economy to a land-linked economy.[12]: 50–51
The shared ideology of communism helps facilitate cooperation between Laos and China.[11]: 211
Laos follows theone China principle and considers Taiwan to be "an inalienable part" of China. Laos also supports all efforts by the PRC to "achievenational reunification" and opposesTaiwan independence.[13] WithinASEAN, Laos is often supportive of China, particularly in decreasing the possibility of an ASEAN consensus for taking a harsher stance against China onterritorial disputes in the South China Sea.[11]: 211
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