Laos was welcomed as a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the 25th Meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council, held in Tianjin, northern China, on Monday. In this piece, economics student Eakvixay Tran from Laos explains how economic cooperation with China has helped the people of Laos.

Tran, who studies at Tsinghua University, mentions that the China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in southwest China with Vientiane, the Laotian capital, offers more than just a boost in trade. 

As China promotes Chinese companies to invest and do business in Laos, allowing the country to tap into its rich natural resources, Tran remains very optimistic about his country's development prospects.