China to build International Convention Centre for Laos

The delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Bounkeut Sangsomsak and included other senior officials.

The convention centre is being funded by a 450 million yuan (about US$70.3 million) loan from the Chinese government and was designed by the Institute of Project Planning and Research under the Machinery Industry Ministry of China.

During the visit, the Lao and Chinese delegations made some improvements to the design before signing an agreement to approve it.

Mr Bounkeut also met with China's Vice Minister of Commerce Chen Jian and thanked him for supervising the work related to the design.

Meanwhile, the Chinese contractor has begun levelling the site in Vientiane, although the ground-breaking ceremony has not yet taken place.

The convention centre will be built on a seven-hectare site at km 6 on Kaysone Phomvihane Road. The building itself will cover an area of 24,899 square metres. The design blends traditional Lao and modern architectural styles. The building will contain several conference rooms, with the largest having a seating capacity of 1,500. This room will be used for the opening ceremony of the ASEM Summit.

A smaller conference room contains 500 seats, which will be used for meetings of heads of state and government.

In addition, a 250-seat room will accommodate a meeting of senior officials, while a press conference room can seat 200 media personnel, and another room will be used to accommodate 100 special guests. There is also a room for bilateral meetings and one for the secretariat.

The 9th ASEM Summit will be the largest event ever held in Laos, with some 50 heads of state and government from Europe and Asia expected to attend. The government is making sure that all the necessary facilities are in place and officials are well prepared for the event. Preparations include an upgrade to Wattay International Airport and building 50 villas to accommodate heads of state and government.