VIENTIANE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A handover ceremony for China's Guangxi-aided Laos technical cooperation poverty reduction demonstration project was held in Lao capital Vientiane on Tuesday.
During the ceremony, representatives from both sides signed the project handover certificate and a long-term operation and management agreement. The two-year cross-border agricultural poverty reduction cooperation project has now been completed and officially entered a new phase of long-term operation.
In his remarks, Deng Miaohong, director general of the Foreign Capital Project Development Center for Rural Revitalization of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the completion of the project has provided valuable practical experience for Laos' national poverty reduction efforts and serves as a telling example of poverty reduction and agricultural cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong region. He expressed the hope that the project would continue to play an important role and deliver lasting benefits to local communities.
In his address, Thatsaka Saphangthong, director general of the Department of Rural Development and Poverty Eradication under the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said the project has improved local infrastructure, effectively enhanced the living standards of the Lao people, and demonstrated the strong commitment and practical cooperation between Laos and China in advancing poverty reduction initiatives.
The initiative was implemented from August 2024 to June 2026, targeting key challenges in Tha Dok Kham village in Lao capital Vientiane, including a weak agricultural foundation, limited disaster resilience, and a short agricultural value chain.
Through the construction of smart agricultural greenhouses and vegetable collection points, the paving of roads in farming areas, the implementation of vegetable product certification and trademark registration, and the provision of agricultural technology training, the project aims to comprehensively improve the level of agricultural standardization, intelligence and industrialization in the village.
It also promotes the adaptation and application of China's poverty reduction model and smart agricultural technologies in Laos. ■
