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Laos

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Laos. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Vientiane

Head of State

President Thongloun Sisoulith

Head of Government

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone

Police seized 521kg of methamphetamine from a private jet at Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos earlier this month. Photo: Facebook/KhuamsaNgopDaily

Crime

Laos private jet bust reveals how Mekong meth slips past borders

Drug experts say narcotics production infrastructure extends across Southeast Asia, and transport routes are fluid and move with enforcement.

14 minutes agovideocam

China’s air force

Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air facility in Laos?

10 Oct 2026 - 10:00PM

Vietnam

Why China’s new air force base in Laos could rattle Vietnam

8 Oct 2026 - 4:29PMvideocam

Malaysia

Police say 521kg of meth seized on Laos private jet did not come from Malaysia

Malaysia’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department said its officials would visit Laos to get further information on the cross-border gang.

7 Oct 2026 - 10:30AM

Police seized 521kg of methamphetamine from a private jet at Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos last week. Photo: Facebook/KhuamsaNgopDaily

Asean

Rising electricity needs put Southeast Asia’s energy security at risk: report

The International Energy Agency report says Southeast Asian nations should share electricity and diversify where they get their power.

6 Oct 2026 - 10:00PM

United States

No trial, no ties: Laotian man freed after 14 months in eSwatini prison

Around 500 have been deported to African countries that are not their home nations since the third-country programme began last year.

5 Oct 2026 - 8:48AM

China-Africa relations

China, Africa boost law enforcement ties in crackdown on cross-border cybercrime

Police cooperation allows Beijing to expand its security role without formal alliances or a large military footprint, observers say.

4 Oct 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, addresses the inaugural conference of the International Alliance Combating Telecoms and Cyber Fraud, in Lianyungang on September 10. Photo: Xinhua

United States

‘America is back’, AI ‘conspiracy’, China’s Laos deal: 7 global relations reads

From anger over AI to Asian diplomacy and scam calls, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in September 2026.

2 Oct 2026 - 10:00PM

Singapore

A third of Singaporeans open to nuclear energy’s potential, highest in Asean

Singaporeans’ wider support for nuclear power was due to a lack of green energy sources aside from solar in the city state, an analyst says.

1 Oct 2026 - 3:45PM

China’s military

China takes strategic military step overseas with new Laos air force centre

Beijing says jointly operated facilities at Ban Keun Airport will support pilot training and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.

30 Sep 2026 - 3:37PM

Chinese and Laotian military personnel attend the opening of a joint humanitarian medical exercise in Vientiane earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua

China-Asean relations

Opinion | How China’s new Pinglu Canal will transform Asia

The game-changing canal is a physical response to an economic reality: Asia’s growth is becoming more regional and more connected.

29 Sep 2026 - 10:17AMvideocam

A ferry ticket in Qinzhou, south China’s Guangxi, on September 16, when China officially opened the Pinglu Canal connecting its landlocked southwest to the coast and overseas markets. Photo: Xinhua

US-China relations

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

The real question for rare earth exporters is how to turn global mineral competition into higher-value industries.

26 Sep 2026 - 12:00PM

War and conflict

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

13 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Asean

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

12 Sep 2026 - 9:57PMvideocam

Scenes from across Southeast Asia as dense transboundary haze from widespread forest and peatland fires triggers severe air pollution. Photos: EPA

Singapore

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

11 Sep 2026 - 9:53PM

People walk along the promenade next to Marina Bay in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Accidents and disasters in China

How natural disasters are putting China’s neighbourhood diplomacy to the test

Sudden Himalayan mudslides and Southeast Asian flooding potentially trigger diplomatic friction and highlight need to boost warning systems.

4 Sep 2026 - 6:28PMvideocam

Cambodia

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

2 Sep 2026 - 2:19PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

How China’s rail diplomacy could shield regional supply chains from shocks

China’s Kyrgyzstan rail pledge highlights wider drive to knit Asia together and strengthen trade links.

1 Sep 2026 - 5:00PM

President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov sign a joint declaration on the development of the China-Kyrgyzstan partnership on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Myanmar

Myanmar air strike kills 14 praying at monastery, rebel witnesses say

Public buildings, most often monasteries and schools, are frequently the sites of reported air strikes according to a UN report from last week.

22 Aug 2026 - 6:48PM

China consumption

Chinese durian lovers rejoice as better logistics send prices lower

Improved cold-chain transport links are making durians cheaper in the world’s biggest market for the pungent tropical fruit.

22 Aug 2026 - 11:00AM

US-China relations

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

22 Aug 2026 - 12:08AMvideocam

Protesters march in Manila on August 13 against Pax Silica, a US-led initiative established in December with the aim of reducing “coercive dependencies”. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

20 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Containers at the Port of Long Beach in the US on May 20. Photo: Los Angeles Times/TNS

Banking & finance

Hong Kong taps tech strength in joint venture to power gold settlement

Alibaba Cloud among partners chosen to create a platform for Hong Kong’s gold clearing and settlement system next year.

19 Aug 2026 - 11:28AM

Thailand

Thailand to review pardon rules after release of drug lord, 85, brings backlash

Laota Saenlee, a former anti-communist guerrilla turned drug runner, is freed after serving less than a decade of a life sentence.

18 Aug 2026 - 3:35PM

US-Asean relations

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

18 Aug 2026 - 5:33PMvideocam

A container lifter is used to organise goods containers at a port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP

Thailand

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

16 Aug 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar

UN atrocity report adds friction to Myanmar junta’s push for legitimacy

The report says abuses escalated around the time Myanmar was conducting junta-led elections that saw Min Aung Hlaing elected as president.

14 Aug 2026 - 5:30PMvideocam

Myanmar

‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

13 Aug 2026 - 8:31PM

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Laos

Laos private jet bust reveals how Mekong meth slips past borders

Drug experts say narcotics production infrastructure extends across Southeast Asia, and transport routes are fluid and move with enforcement.

Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air facility in Laos?

Why China’s new air force base in Laos could rattle Vietnam

Police say 521kg of meth seized on Laos private jet did not come from Malaysia

Malaysia’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department said its officials would visit Laos to get further information on the cross-border gang.

Rising electricity needs put Southeast Asia’s energy security at risk: report

The International Energy Agency report says Southeast Asian nations should share electricity and diversify where they get their power.

No trial, no ties: Laotian man freed after 14 months in eSwatini prison

Around 500 have been deported to African countries that are not their home nations since the third-country programme began last year.

China, Africa boost law enforcement ties in crackdown on cross-border cybercrime

Police cooperation allows Beijing to expand its security role without formal alliances or a large military footprint, observers say.

‘America is back’, AI ‘conspiracy’, China’s Laos deal: 7 global relations reads

From anger over AI to Asian diplomacy and scam calls, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in September 2026.

A third of Singaporeans open to nuclear energy’s potential, highest in Asean

Singaporeans’ wider support for nuclear power was due to a lack of green energy sources aside from solar in the city state, an analyst says.

China takes strategic military step overseas with new Laos air force centre

Beijing says jointly operated facilities at Ban Keun Airport will support pilot training and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | How China’s new Pinglu Canal will transform Asia

The game-changing canal is a physical response to an economic reality: Asia’s growth is becoming more regional and more connected.

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

The real question for rare earth exporters is how to turn global mineral competition into higher-value industries.

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

How natural disasters are putting China’s neighbourhood diplomacy to the test

Sudden Himalayan mudslides and Southeast Asian flooding potentially trigger diplomatic friction and highlight need to boost warning systems.

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

How China’s rail diplomacy could shield regional supply chains from shocks

China’s Kyrgyzstan rail pledge highlights wider drive to knit Asia together and strengthen trade links.

Myanmar air strike kills 14 praying at monastery, rebel witnesses say

Public buildings, most often monasteries and schools, are frequently the sites of reported air strikes according to a UN report from last week.

Chinese durian lovers rejoice as better logistics send prices lower

Improved cold-chain transport links are making durians cheaper in the world’s biggest market for the pungent tropical fruit.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

Hong Kong taps tech strength in joint venture to power gold settlement

Alibaba Cloud among partners chosen to create a platform for Hong Kong’s gold clearing and settlement system next year.

Thailand to review pardon rules after release of drug lord, 85, brings backlash

Laota Saenlee, a former anti-communist guerrilla turned drug runner, is freed after serving less than a decade of a life sentence.

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

UN atrocity report adds friction to Myanmar junta’s push for legitimacy

The report says abuses escalated around the time Myanmar was conducting junta-led elections that saw Min Aung Hlaing elected as president.

‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

Opinion | How China’s new Pinglu Canal will transform Asia

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race