Aid and development
ASEAN faces test in handling China: ex-Indonesian FM
How ASEAN handles China’s rise will be a crucial test for a block which has failed to find its voice as a community on critical issues, a former Indonesian foreign minister said earlier this week. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has shown “perfect ...
China’s Risky Play for Global Power
Over the past year, Chinese officials reportedly have been surprised by how quickly the Trump administration has undermined U.S. influence in East Asia, creating a leadership void that could potentially be filled—by China. But even before Trump alienated many Asian partners with a mix of ...
Mekong countries attend friendship border exchange program in Vietnam
Delegations from all six members of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the third friendship border exchange program in Vietnam’s Hanoi capital on Saturday evening. During the exchange program, with the presence of Vietnam’s top legislator ...
Lao government, World Bank assess renewable energy development in southern river basin
The Lao government and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, are conducting a basin-wide Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) of renewable energy development in southern Laos’ Xekong River Basin. According to local online newspaper Vientiane Times on Sunday, it is the ...
Dams and sand mining threaten integrity of lower Mekong
At more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles), the Mekong is Southeast Asia’s longest river. It runs through six countries, providing food and income for more than 70 million people. But the integrity of the river, and therefore of the livelihood of the people who depend on ...
RoK pledges to increase aid for Mekong countries
The Republic of Korea (RoK) will implement its New Southern Policy with a determination to promote cooperation with the Mekong region, said RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. Keep reading ...
ADB loan to boost highways
Thailand has gained a US$99.4 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help upgrade some of the country’s highways and improve road safety in the Northeast. []“Transport infrastructure is an important driver of growth for Thailand’s economy,” said Subramaniam. “Improving the country’s road network ...
Myanmar and UN announce deal for return of Rohingya
Myanmar’s government has announced an agreement with two UN agencies for the return of refugees who fled violence in Rakhine state, but Rohingya have expressed concerns that it does not do enough to guarantee their safety. Keep reading ...
WB Provides Loans for National Roads’ Improvement in Cambodia
World Bank has provided a low-interest loan of $60 million to the Royal Government of Cambodia to upgrade the quality of National Road No.3 and National Road No. 7 with a total length of 218 kilometer. Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol signed ...
Secure access to land critical to achieve an end to hunger
Addressing fairly the challenges of land tenure for hundreds of millions of people in Asia and the Pacific is a critical step that policy makers must take if the region is to meet the 2030 deadline for zero hunger and eradication of poverty, the Food ...
