(Yicai) May 30 -- The mayor of the Laotian capital of Vientiane hopes to strengthen cooperation with Shanghai in education, allowing more local students to go to the eastern Chinese city.

Over 800 Laotians were studying in Shanghai last year, with 70 percent returning to Vientiane after graduation and contributing in various ways, Athsaphangthong Siphandone said during the Global Mayors Dialogue forum in Shanghai yesterday.

Vientiane lacks talents in areas including public health, healthcare, mineral resource development, education, and animal and plant inspection and quarantine, Siphandone noted, adding that he hopes more young Laotians will go to study in China, especially in Shanghai.

In addition, Vientiane and Shanghai inked a Letter of Intent for Friendly Cooperation and Exchanges at the forum yesterday, covering areas such as trade, investment, culture, tourism, education, and civil servant training.

"We are honored to sign an agreement with Shanghai on friendly cooperation and exchanges," Siphandone said. "This marks a significant starting point for Vientiane-Shanghai cooperation."

Vientiane is Laos's political, economic, and cultural center, while Shanghai is the most economically developed city in China, providing a broad prospect for cooperation between the pair, Siphandone said. The sister-city partnership will hopefully lead to more frequent bilateral trade and economic exchanges, attracting Chinese firms to invest in Laos and strengthening the exchange of experiences in talent cultivation, tourism, culture, and urbanization, he pointed out.

The China-Laos Railway from China's Kunming in the north to Vientiane in the south has been operating since Dec. 3, 2021, promoting relevant economic and trade development. Bilateral trade between China and Laos surged 16 percent to a record high of USD8.2 billion last year from 2023, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China.

Mayors and representatives of 26 cities from 22 countries gathered in Shanghai for the three-day Global Mayors Dialogue that ends today and the 2025 Shanghai International Friendship Cities Cooperation Forum that ends tomorrow.

Editor: Martin Kadiev