Li's visit to Laos yields raft of agreements

China and Laos signed 20 agreements on Thursday to promote railway, hydropower and infrastructure projects as Premier Li Keqiang concluded his four-day trip to the Southeast Asian neighbor.

Under the agreements, Chinese banks will grant loans to the Laotian government to start construction of the China-Laos Railway. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held last year.

The two countries will work on a development plan for areas along the line that stretches 418 km from Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, to Laos' capital Vientiane.