The Vientiane Saysettha Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone was officially inaugurated on Friday by video conference.
The low-carbon area is located inside the Saysettha Development Zone in Vientiane Capital, which is jointly operated by the Vientiane Administration Office, representing the Lao government, and the Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group, representing the Government of China.
The Zone has been chosen as a low-carbon demonstration area in Vientiane Capital by the South-South Cooperation Project on Climate Change in Laos.
Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said in his speech during the inauguration ceremony that the low-carbon demonstration project in the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone serves as an important step toward implementing the action plan on building the China-Laos community with a shared future, and highlights the joint efforts addressing climate change made by the two countries.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saynakhone Inthavong, Deputy Minister of the Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said the Saysettha Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone project is a model for bilateral cooperation in addressing climate change.
“I am sure the cooperation between Laos and China on the environment will achieve great results,” he said.
Located in Vientiane Capital, the Saysettha Development Zone covers an area of 11.5 square kilometers. The Zone is expected to promote economic development for Laos, generating revenue as well as providing green spaces in the center of the capital.
When complete, the USD 5 billion investment will serve as both an industrial park and a new residential area inside the nation’s capital.
Following the ceremony, the Chinese side officially handed over a new batch of assistance supplies for the demonstration zone to the Lao side, including 12 new electric buses, eight new electric trucks, and eight new electric law enforcement vehicles.
China first provided Laos with a fleet of 28 electric vehicles for use in the SDZ in July last year. The electric vehicles, produced by the Changsha BYD plant, included taxis, buses, and electric trucks.
They are being used to promote green transportation as part of the South-South Cooperation Project on climate change.
