Myanmar, Laos eye trade boost with bridge

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HANOI, March 23 (AFP): Laos and Myanmar have agreed to build the first bridge across the Mekong river between the two countries to boost trade and investment, Laotian state media reported Friday.
The "friendship bridge" agreement was signed Thursday during a visit to Vientiane by Myanmar President Thein Sein, the Vientiane Times said.
Laotian President Choummaly Sayasone said the two countries should increase cooperation in industries with investment potential, such as mining and agriculture, the newspaper reported.
Landlocked Laos has been growing at about seven per cent annually in recent years, its government says, and it is aiming for membership of the World Trade Organization.
That expansion has largely come from exploitation of natural resources in the rural-based society of about six million people, one of Asia's poorest countries.