During the 7th China - ASEAN Expo, the "Laos - China Business Investment Forum", co-sponsored by Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Trade and Industry of Laos, was held at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Centre on the morning of October 21, 2010.

The forum aims to strengthen the economic and trade ties between China and Laos and to promote mutual cooperation in the process of building the China - ASEAN Free Trade Area by further publicizing the investment environment, framework of policies, laws and regulations, trade and investment opportunities of Laos.

Among the 10 ASEAN countries, Laos is the only landlocked country, with the world-famous Mekong River running from north to south through the whole country, the water force of which can be developed up to 35 million kilowatts in terms of installed capacity. With the forest area of about 9 million hectares, Laos abounds with high-quality timbers. The tourist attractions of Luang Prabang City and the Wat Phu Temple in Pakse have been included in the World Heritage List. In order to facilitate foreign investors to invest in Laos, the Lao government has also adjusted its investment policies, streamlined the procedures, the profit tax and other related taxes are collected with favorable policies. Its richness of natural resources and good investment environment provide Laos a good foundation to attract more investments. In recent years, the economic and trade relations between China and Laos have developed smoothly, with a series of economic cooperation documents signed between the two sides and a bilateral economic trade and technical cooperation committee set up. The investment of Chinese enterprises in Laos keeps on the rise, and so far, the two sides have established extensive cooperation in the fields like agriculture, agricultural machinery, building materials and power plant construction etc. The bilateral trade volume in 2009 amounted to US $744 million, an increase of 79% compared to the same period of the previous year. As of December 2009, Chinese enterprises had 340 direct investment projects in Laos, and the cumulative amount of investment approved by the Chinese government amounted to about US$2.6 billion, second only to Thailand.

The forum can be helpful for Chinese entrepreneurs to learn more about Laos's investment environment and foreign trade policies, and it will bring about more new opportunities for cooperation between China and Laos.

The forum was attended by 200 people, including the concerned government and department officials of Laos, related officials of economy departments of China, representatives of Chinese investors in Laos, as well as about 200 representatives of the industry and business circle and the press from home and abroad.