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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

The Lynas Rare Earths processing plant in Gebeng, Malaysia. Photo: AFP

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

13 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Asean

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

12 Sep 2026 - 9:57PMvideocam

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

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

The Mekong as seen from the intersection of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Photo: Rivers and Rights

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

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Laos

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

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

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.

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.

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

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