Five years after President Xi Jinping was in Laos on a state visit, Sommano Pholsena, an old schoolmate of his, is happy to see the fruit of collaboration between the two countries.
2017年，中國國家主席習(xí)近平對老撾進行了國事訪問。五年來，中老兩國取得了豐碩的合作成果，作為習(xí)近平的老同學(xué)，薩馬諾·奔舍那為此感到由衷高興。

"The China-Laos railway has been opened," said Sommano, a former vice-general manager of the state corporation Electricite du Laos. "I've also heard that the first phase of a China-aided hospital in Vientiane has started to accept patients."
薩馬諾曾任老撾國家電力公司副總經(jīng)理，他說：“中老鐵路已經(jīng)開通了。我還聽說，在萬象中國援建的一家醫(yī)院，第一期已經(jīng)開了，已經(jīng)可以入住病人?！?/p>

He was referring to the 1,035-kilometer railway that opened in December, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road collaboration connecting Kunming in Yunnan province with the Lao capital, Vientiane.
薩馬諾提到的中老鐵路于2021年12月通車，線路全長1035公里，連接云南省昆明市與老撾首都萬象。中老鐵路是“一帶一路”標(biāo)志性的高質(zhì)量合作項目。

"Many hospitals and schools were built under pilot poverty alleviation programs," Sommano told China Daily in fluent Mandarin. "The results are obvious."
薩馬諾用流利的普通話告訴《中國日報》：“那些扶貧項目，包括試點示范工程，在很多縣建醫(yī)院、建學(xué)校，成果顯而易見！”

As the second son of the former Lao foreign minister Quinim Pholsena, a key figure who pushed for the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Laos in 1961, Sommano, together with his siblings, studied at Beijing Bayi School with Xi in the 1960s.
作為老撾前外交部長貴寧·奔舍那的次子，上世紀(jì)60年代，薩馬諾及其兄弟姐妹曾與習(xí)近平同在北京八一學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)。貴寧是推動中老兩國在1961年建交的關(guān)鍵人物。

On Nov 13, 2017, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arrived in Laos for a two-day state visit after he attended the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Vietnam. It was the first visit to Laos by a Chinese head of state in 11 years.
2017年11月13日，習(xí)近平在出席亞太經(jīng)合組織（APEC）第二十五次領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人非正式會議后，對老撾進行為期兩天的國事訪問。這是中國國家元首11年來首次訪問老撾。

Despite a tight schedule, Xi made time to meet his friends from the Pholsena family at the hotel where he stayed in Vientiane. Xi had also met them when he visited Laos in 2010 as vice-president.
盡管日程安排很緊湊，但習(xí)近平還是抽時間在萬象下榻的酒店會見了奔舍那家族的友人。2010年，習(xí)近平以副主席身份訪問老撾時也會見了他們。

"Xi remembered all of our names," Sommano said. "He was standing by the door, and we walked into the room to shake hands with him. He asked if we were well."
薩馬諾說：“他記得每個人的名字。他站在門口，我們排著隊進去與他握手。他就說‘好嗎？健康嗎？’?！?/p>

Sommano said the family felt privileged and proud to meet Xi. "Our younger family members were also very excited and even asked me if I could help get Xi's autograph," he said.
薩馬諾說，受到習(xí)主席的接見讓他們一家人倍感榮幸和自豪。他說：“我們的小輩也特別激動，還有人問我是否方便跟（習(xí)主席）要一個簽名?！?/p>

Sommano said he was most impressed that Xi called his family, many of whom had studied in China, witnesses and successors of the friendship between China and Laos. "He stressed specifically that we should pass this on to our next generation."
薩馬諾印象最深的是，習(xí)近平稱奔舍那家族的成員（其中許多人曾在中國學(xué)習(xí)）是中老友誼的見證者和繼承者?！八貏e強調(diào)了一點，希望我們（將這份友誼）傳承給下一代。”

During the visit Xi reached a number of agreements with the Lao leadership, such as accelerating the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to transform itself from a landlocked country to a "land-linked "one. The two sides also emphasized pushing forward the construction of the China-Laos economic corridor, the China-Laos railway, and expanding collaboration fields such as energy, resources, electricity and finance, as well as sectors such as healthcare, education and poverty alleviation.
習(xí)近平在訪問老撾期間與老撾領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人達(dá)成多項合作共識，如推動“一帶一路”倡議同老撾“變陸鎖國為陸聯(lián)國”戰(zhàn)略對接，共建中老經(jīng)濟走廊，推進中老鐵路項目。深化能源、電力、金融、醫(yī)療、教育、扶貧等領(lǐng)域合作。

The two countries agreed that jointly building a community of shared future with strategic significance on the basis of mutual trust is in line with the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two parties, two countries and two peoples, and also conducive to the cause of peace and development for the world.
兩國一致認(rèn)為，雙方在彼此信賴的基礎(chǔ)上，共同打造中老具有戰(zhàn)略意義的命運共同體，符合兩黨兩國和兩國人民的根本利益和共同愿望，有利于人類和平與發(fā)展的崇高事業(yè)。

Xi attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a China-aided upgrade project of Mahosot Hospital, one of the first hospitals in Laos, built in 1910. As a landmark project in bilateral collaboration in public welfare, the 700-million-yuan ($104 million) project includes the expansion of the century-old hospital and the construction of new in-house medical facilities.
習(xí)近平出席了瑪霍索綜合醫(yī)院奠基儀式。中國援老撾瑪霍索綜合醫(yī)院項目是中國援建老撾的民生領(lǐng)域標(biāo)志性項目?，敾羲麽t(yī)院建于1910年，是老撾最早的醫(yī)院之一，該項目是在現(xiàn)有醫(yī)院基礎(chǔ)上升級改造。

In November the first phase of the project was handed over to Laos, including the new ward building and the building for treating infectious diseases.
2021年11月，包括新建病房樓、傳染病樓在內(nèi)的項目一期工程順利完工并移交老方。

Phisith Phoutsavath, who took part in the groundbreaking ceremony as the then deputy general manager of Mahosot Hospital, said the upgrading project helped to increase the number of beds to make it the biggest in Laos.
時任瑪霍索醫(yī)院副總經(jīng)理的菲西斯·傅賽瓦特出席了奠基儀式，他表示，升級改造后的瑪霍索醫(yī)院增加了床位數(shù)量，成為老撾最大的醫(yī)院。

The upgrade was important not only because it improved the hospital's capability to treat more patients, with better skills, but also because it allowed Mahosot Hospital, a teaching hospital, to train more medical talent in Laos, Phisith said.
菲西斯稱，這次升級意義重大，不僅是因為醫(yī)院的收治能力和醫(yī)療技術(shù)得到提高，而且作為一家教學(xué)醫(yī)院，瑪霍索醫(yī)院將為老撾培訓(xùn)更多的醫(yī)療人才。

"Xi also told the Lao and Chinese ophthalmological teams to continue working together for the Lao people," Phisith said, recalling that Xi also visited Lao patients who received free cataract surgery from Chinese ophthalmologists as part of an aid project at the time.
菲西斯回憶說，習(xí)主席還慰問了老撾白內(nèi)障患者，這些患者通過當(dāng)時的援老項目接受了中國醫(yī)生的免費手術(shù)?！傲?xí)主席對老撾和中國的眼科醫(yī)生團隊表示，雙方可以繼續(xù)加強合作，更好地造福當(dāng)?shù)厝嗣??！?/p>

That collaboration left a valuable legacy for Laos, Phisith said. When international travel was most restricted during the pandemic, Lao doctors were able to do cataract operations on their own, he said, as a result of their previous experience of working with the Chinese doctors.
菲西斯稱，這種合作為老撾留下了寶貴的遺產(chǎn)，在新冠疫情期間，跨國旅行受到極大限制，老撾醫(yī)生能夠獨立完成白內(nèi)障手術(shù)，多虧了以前與中國醫(yī)生合作的經(jīng)驗。

In addition to the collaboration in cataract surgery, the hospital worked with its Chinese partner in Yunnan province to treat patients with heart disease.
除了白內(nèi)障手術(shù)方面的合作外，瑪霍索醫(yī)院還與中國云南省的醫(yī)院開展合作，治療心臟病患者。

The hospital has seen an increase in the number of patients since the inauguration of the China-Laos railway, Phisith said.
菲西斯稱，中老鐵路開通后，該醫(yī)院收治的病人數(shù)量進一步增加。

Many Lao people used to travel to Thailand to receive healthcare because it was even closer for them, Phisith said, but with the new railway more people are traveling to Mahosot Hospital because the railway has made it easier for them to travel to Vientiane.
許多老撾人過去前往泰國看病，因為那里離他們更近，但如今越來越多人前往瑪霍索醫(yī)院，因為中老鐵路使往來萬象更方便了。

With a speed of 160 km per hour, the China-Laos railway has cut the travel time between Vientiane and Boten, on the border with China, from 15 hours to about four hours. Including the onward connections to Kunming, the trip takes about 10 hours in total, compared with the previous time of two to three days.
中老鐵路設(shè)計時速160公里，開通運營后，將萬象與位于中老邊境的磨丁之間的旅行時間從15小時縮短到4小時左右；旅客從昆明至萬象最快10小時左右可達(dá)，此前需要2到3天。

By June 2 the China-Laos railway had handled more than 3.2 million passenger trips, with the top number of passengers on the line's Laos section reaching about 5,000 in a single day. It has carried 4.03 million metric tons of goods, including 647,000 tons of cross-border goods such as electronics, photovoltaic items and fruit.
截至今年6月2日，中老鐵路累計發(fā)送旅客超過320萬人次，其中老撾段單日客運量最高達(dá)到約5000人次；發(fā)送貨物403萬噸，其中跨境貨物64.7萬噸，包括電子產(chǎn)品、光伏產(chǎn)品和水果等。

In addition to improving Laos' transport connections with China, the railway is helping to transform Laos into a regional logistics center because it has opened a new era for regional trade. For example, Thailand transported 500 tons of durian to China via the railway route for the first time in April.
除了改善中老兩國的交通連接外，這條鐵路還幫老撾轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)閰^(qū)域物流中心，為區(qū)域貿(mào)易開辟了新時代。例如，今年4月，泰國首次通過中老鐵路將500噸榴蓮運送到中國。

Phisith said he hopes to see more healthcare collaboration between China and Laos. Before he retired last year he also proposed collaboration with Chinese hospitals to help Mahosot Hospital improve its cancer treatment and neuroscience.
菲西斯希望看到中國和老撾開展更多的醫(yī)療合作。去年退休前，他還提議與中國醫(yī)院合作，幫助瑪霍索醫(yī)院提高癌癥治療和神經(jīng)科學(xué)水平。

Recalling bilateral collaboration since 2017, and especially during the pandemic, Sommano said China was the first country to provide assistance to Laos, including sending medical experts, vaccines and other supplies.
回顧自2017年以來，特別是在疫情期間的雙邊合作，薩馬諾表示，中國是第一個向老撾提供援助的國家，包括派遣醫(yī)療專家、運送疫苗和其他物資。

"The assistance was not just on the government level," he said, noting the extensive aid from Chinese provinces and enterprises.
他說，“援助不僅僅是中央政府層面的”，他還提到了來自中國各省份和企業(yè)的廣泛支援。

Impressed by Xi's domestic policies on protecting the environment and alleviating poverty, Sommano said China's achievements set an example for Laos.
中國的環(huán)保和扶貧政策令薩馬諾十分欽佩，他稱中國的成就為老撾樹立了榜樣。

As a frequent traveler to China before the pandemic, Sommano said he was impressed by how China has developed in leaps and bounds over the past 10 years under Xi's leadership.
薩馬諾在疫情前經(jīng)常到中國旅行，他對過去10年中國在習(xí)主席帶領(lǐng)下取得的飛躍式發(fā)展印象深刻。

"I see new changes every time I go to China. Many young people in Laos have become more interested in learning Chinese … and studying in China."
“我每次去（中國）都有新的變化……很多老撾的年輕人對學(xué)習(xí)中文很有興趣，我覺得老撾年輕人對去中國留學(xué)還是很感興趣 ?！?/p>

China's rapid development has attracted people to learn more about it, he said.
他說，中國的快速發(fā)展吸引人們更深入地了解中國。

Today members of the Pholsena family are working in various government agencies, continuing to witness how China and Laos work with one another.
如今，奔舍那家族的成員們在老撾各政府機構(gòu)任職，繼續(xù)見證著中老兩國合作的未來。

"Just as President Xi said, whatever the government does, it needs to create real benefit for the local people," Sommano said.
薩馬諾說：“就像習(xí)主席說的一樣，政府做的每一件事是要給老百姓實際的實惠?！?/p>

"We can feel that in Laos (from the collaboration with China)."
“（通過與中國的合作）我們在老撾也感覺到這一點?！?/p>

來源：中國日報
編輯：董靜
記者：楊涵