The leaders of China and Laos have promised to step up their economic ties, as Beijing is expanding its influence in the Southeast Asian country.

The pledge was made during a trip to Beijing by Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.

President Xi Jinping met with his counterpart on Wednesday. He said China will encourage more private investment in its neighbor and import more of its products.

Thongloun said infrastructure projects backed by Beijing have played an important role in his country's development.

A railway stretching about 1,000 kilometers and linking the Laotian capital of Vientiane with southwestern China started operations last year. It's a landmark project under Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative, which is meant to form a massive economic zone.

But Beijing's rising influence amid ballooning loans made to recipient countries has been described by critics as a "debt trap."

The Laotian economy has been struggling from rising inflation and a weak currency.

Also during the meeting on Wednesday, the leaders of the two socialist countries expressed their condolences over the death of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

Thongloun's three-day visit to China is his first since taking office last year.