Lao president hopes to see Sun Paper bring more benefits to locality

VIENTIANE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Bounnhang Vorachith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and president of Laos, inspected the Sun Paper Holdings Laos Co., Ltd. (Sun Paper Laos) on Sunday, hoping that the Chinese company will further help promote local economic development.

He said the Sun Paper Laos, located in Xepon, Savannakhet Province, some 410 km east of Lao capital Vientiane, should continue to cooperate with local people in plantation to increase income, and at the same time continue to attach importance to environmental protection and sustainable development.

The Sun Paper Laos, the first modern pulp mill in Laos, established in May, 2008, is a wholly-owned company of Shandong Sun Paper Group, one of China's top 500 enterprises. Sun Paper Group signed an investment agreement on "Forest-Pulp-Paper Integration" with the Lao government in November, 2009.

Li Hongxin, president of Shandong Sun Paper Group, said that his company has made great efforts in cooperation with local people to plant trees, and has brought prosperity to many Lao village families.

What's more, the Sun Paper Laos has hired local people of 310,000 person-times, and is employing 458 Lao nationals in the company now. Besides, the company has actively engaged in charitable activities, and spent a total of 1.86 million U.S. dollars repairing bridges, roads and building schools for the nearby villages, according to Li. Enditem