On March 24, 2008, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao met respectively with Thongsing Thammavong, president of the Lao National Assembly at the Great Hall of the People.

When meeting with Thongsing, Wu said China and Laos have traditional friendship with political trust and mutual support, and to develop good-neighborly friendship and all-round cooperation is in the fundamental interest of both peoples. He pointed out that sound political relations should push forward pragmatic cooperation in the economic and trade area. China would like to work with Laos to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in infrastructure and agriculture, expand business cooperation and promote personnel training and exchanges for the benefits of the two peoples, Wu said. The NPC would maintain high-level exchanges with Lao National Assembly, said Wu, expressing hope that both countries would continue friendly exchanges between special committees, exchange experience on governing the country and keep closer coordination on international and regional parliamentary organizations, so as to inject fresh momentum to all-round, in-depth development of China-Laos ties.

When meeting with Thongsing, Premier Wen Jiabao said it was of strategic significance for China and Laos, as close friends and partners, to deepen good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation in the new era. China was willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Laos, build up political trust and expand cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, finance, education, science, technology and human resources development. China would continue to implement the aid projects in Laos to help the country improve its capability for independent development, Wen said.

Thongsing said China's enormous achievements in reform and opening up over the past 30 years fully prove that the socialist path with Chinese characteristics is completely correct. Thongsing said that as Laos is carrying out reform and opening up, it hopes to learn from China's experience of development and enhance economic cooperation with China. Thongsing reaffirmed that the party, government and people in Laos always stand by the Chinese people and oppose separatist activities by anyone in any form. He voiced support for a successful Beijing Olympic Games.