Chinese artists perform at the Spring Festival show in Vientiane. Provided to China Daily

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In Laos, thousands of Chinese workers are completing foreign-aid projects sponsored by the Chinese government, such as employees of the Yunnan Construction Engineering Group Co Ltd. Meanwhile, Chinese teachers have been sent to teach Mandarin in Laos, where Chinese is getting more popular due to the increasing economic interaction between the two counties.

Yunnan TV spent 4 million yuan ($666,000) to co-host the event, while another 4 million yuan was provided by the State Council Information Office of China and the Yunnan provincial government.

Yunnan has a long tradition in television cooperation with Laos, with companies in the province selling millions of set-top boxes for television signals, said Li. Pineprathana Phanthamaly, director general of the Mass Media Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, said in a previous interview that China has assisted Laos's information and media personnel for a long time. Last year, China Central Television and China Radio International helped Laos upgrade its TV and radio systems.

Boun Jom, president of Laotian National Television, said around 6 million people are estimated to have watched the gala.

"The connection with Southeast Asian neighbors is much more valuable than the money we spent on the galas, and we will continue the festivity show in the future to further promote interaction and understanding of Yunnan people and our neighbors," Li says.

During the gala, the international channel of Yunnan TV announced to offer service in Laos and other Southeast Asian countries. "Yunnan is the only province in China that neighbors Laos, and the increasing cooperation between Yunnan and Laos has contributed to the strategic partnership between China and Laos in recent years," says Zhao Jin, director of Yunnan's provincial publicity department. "The performances by Chinese and Laotian artists will further promote the cultural exchange and communication between the two countries."

Guo Anfei contributed to the story.