BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, will meet with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, via video link on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said here Wednesday.

Xi and Thongloun will also attend a virtual ceremony of the opening of the China-Laos Railway, Hua said.

Related story:

Full steam ahead for rail marvel

An engineering triumph, China-Laos link poised to deepen bonds between nations

The China-Laos Railway, due to open this week, is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. It will bring new opportunities and provide huge momentum in strengthening Laos' economy. The train route will connect the Chinese city of Kunming to the Lao capital Vientiane, with grand plans for high-speed rail to ultimately snake down through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. (Read more)