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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

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

22 Aug 2026 - 11:00AM

US-China relations

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

22 Aug 2026 - 12:08AMvideocam

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

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

People wade through a flooded area due to monsoon rains and rising river water levels in Wetlet, Myanmar’s Sagaing region on Monday. Photo: AFP

Science

Nearly 200-country study shows China’s belt and road cuts debt and corruption

Data analysis spanning more than 20 years across 197 countries and regions challenges ‘debt trap diplomacy’ narrative.

13 Aug 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

According to the study, better connectivity can reduce pressure from poverty, unemployment and inequality, particularly in developing countries. Photo: Xinhua

Asean

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say.

14 Aug 2026 - 5:23PMvideocam

Asean

Editorial | Hong Kong’s economic and trade network plays to city’s strengths

The opening of a new Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur is part of a strategic move towards bolstering relations with Asean.

13 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

US-China relations

US visa revocations hit 175,000, on pace for new record under Trump

State Department says the 2026 total is set to surpass last year’s record as US president presses ahead with his immigration crackdown.

12 Aug 2026 - 3:20AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump signs the “Secure America Act” in June, securing billions in funding for his immigration crackdown. Photo: AFP

Asean

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says.

29 Jul 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centres, are detained in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar on February 26, 2025. Photo: AP

Asean

Can Southeast Asia survive more Iran war fuel shocks?

Analysts warn the region cannot fully insulate itself from an extended conflict if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.

24 Jul 2026 - 6:31PMvideocam

Cambodia

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

24 Jul 2026 - 11:37AMvideocam

Asia travel

As Laos’ methanol poisoning case begins, friend of victim slams ‘cover-up’

A British man who was blinded in the incident says he feels sorry for the families of the six victims who died, but is ‘not angry’ any more.

24 Jul 2026 - 5:00PM

Flowers left in tribute to Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, who died from methanol poisoning in Laos, outside Beaumaris Secondary College in Melbourne on November 25, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Myanmar

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.

22 Jul 2026 - 4:40PM

Indonesia

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

21 Jul 2026 - 6:41PMvideocam

Asean

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

18 Jul 2026 - 12:00PM

A worker inspects fruit at a Chinese-financed mango processing factory in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province last year. Photo: Xinhua

US-China relations

US-China AI rivalry becomes a battle to export competing tech governance visions

Will the world choose Washington’s market-driven approach or Beijing’s open-source model that aims to be accessible and safe?

17 Jul 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

President Xi Jinping joins attendees for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in China on Friday. Photo: Reuters

China trade

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

14 Jul 2026 - 7:00PM

China airliners

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

13 Jul 2026 - 11:00AM

Thailand

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

12 Jul 2026 - 1:30PM

Media attend a press briefing where Thai police showed pictures of surrogate babies in 2014, the year before Thailand banned commercial surrogacy. Photo: AP

Myanmar

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021.

9 Jul 2026 - 3:45PMvideocam

Tourists offer joss sticks at Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon in 2019. Photo: AP

Singapore

Can Singapore and Indonesia’s energy push kick-start regional power grid?

The cooperation could boost both countries’ sustainability goals and help shape regional frameworks for the Asean Power Grid, analysts say.

7 Jul 2026 - 8:30PM

Middle East

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

5 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

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Laos

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

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

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}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.

Nearly 200-country study shows China’s belt and road cuts debt and corruption

Data analysis spanning more than 20 years across 197 countries and regions challenges ‘debt trap diplomacy’ narrative.

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say.

Editorial | Hong Kong’s economic and trade network plays to city’s strengths

The opening of a new Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur is part of a strategic move towards bolstering relations with Asean.

US visa revocations hit 175,000, on pace for new record under Trump

State Department says the 2026 total is set to surpass last year’s record as US president presses ahead with his immigration crackdown.

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says.

Can Southeast Asia survive more Iran war fuel shocks?

Analysts warn the region cannot fully insulate itself from an extended conflict if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

As Laos’ methanol poisoning case begins, friend of victim slams ‘cover-up’

A British man who was blinded in the incident says he feels sorry for the families of the six victims who died, but is ‘not angry’ any more.

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

US-China AI rivalry becomes a battle to export competing tech governance visions

Will the world choose Washington’s market-driven approach or Beijing’s open-source model that aims to be accessible and safe?

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021.

Can Singapore and Indonesia’s energy push kick-start regional power grid?

The cooperation could boost both countries’ sustainability goals and help shape regional frameworks for the Asean Power Grid, analysts say.

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

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

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