An aerial drone photo taken on July 31, 2024 shows a view of Qinzhou Port in Qinzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

　　While pursuing high-quality development and advancing modernization, China has been offering new growth momentum to its neighbors, said experts ahead of Chinese Premier Li Qiang's trip to Laos and Vietnam.

　　BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 27th China-ASEAN Summit, the 27th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit in the Lao capital Vientiane starting from Wednesday, and pay official visits to Laos and Vietnam.

　　While pursuing high-quality development and advancing modernization, China has been offering new growth momentum to its neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, notably through Belt and Road cooperation with common development being a highlight.

　　Experts said that Li's upcoming trip to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to boost bilateral relations, foster deeper and more substantive cooperation, and enhance people-to-people exchanges, which will further catalyze regional peace, stability and prosperity.

　　ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY

　　Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Its landscape, largely covered by rugged mountains and high plateaus, forms natural barriers to efficient transportation, hindering the country's development and the improvement of people's livelihood.

　　The China-Laos Railway has helped transform the country's predicament into a growth opportunity, turning Laos into a land-linked hub on the Indo-China Peninsula.