VIENTIANE, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Laos' National Economic Development Planning and Strategy Training Workshop was opened here on Tuesday.

At the workshop, teachers from China will offer a 21-day training to Lao trainees.

Khenthong Sisouvong, vice president of the Laos-China Cooperation Commission, when addressing the opening ceremony, expressed his gratitude to the long-term support and help to Laos' human resources development from the Chinese commerce ministry's Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO).

Training in the relevant sectors which China has been providing to Laos has contributed to Laos' development, he said.

This is the first time a training workshop of this kind has been held in Laos, and the workshop matches the development reality in nowaday Laos, Khengthong said.

The Lao trainees will attentively join the courses, actively exchange ideas with teachers, and make full use of what they learn at the workshop in their future work.

Li Xiaobing, president of AIBO, said that China and Laos, linked by mountains and rivers, are good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners. In recent years, the number of trainees from Laos to China has been increasing, with the number reaching 1,657 in 2017.

The Chinese side is willing to continuously strengthen cooperation in human resources sector with the Lao side, Li said.

Economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Laos Wang Qihui said he hoped the workshop will achieve the expected effect and make positive contribution to Laos' socio-economic development.

Altogether 56 trainees from Laos' central and localities' economic planning departments are taking part in the 21-day workshop.