Xi hosts foreign leaders after large-scale military parade in Beijing

ANKARA

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday received several foreign leaders in Beijing, a day after China staged a large-scale military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, state media reported.

Among those hosted were Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The leaders had traveled to Beijing to attend the parade. Thongloun also joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the northern port city of Tianjin.

In talks with Thongloun, Xi said both sides should focus on the operation of the China-Laos Railway and related development projects, while also expanding cooperation in defense, law enforcement, security, and other sectors. He added that Beijing was ready to share governance experience with Vientiane.

Thongloun said Laos would continue working with China to implement a new five-year action plan aimed at building a Laos-China community with a shared future.

*Writing by Aamir Latif