News
ASEAN-EU plans joint statement on climate change
Senior officials from ASEAN and the European Union are working on a joint statement on climate change to show their solidarity and commitment to the Paris Agreement.“The doc ument will be finalised soon, and the announcement will be made at the post-ministerial meeting,” said a ...
Trat SEZ pinned as border hub
Thailand’s much-touted Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and a new special economic zone (SEZ) in Trat province are expected to become instrumental in bolstering trade not only to Thailand but also to Cambodia and Vietnam, business leaders from the two countries said at a cross-border trade ...
Laos, Indonesia enhance wide-ranging cooperation
National defence and security, education, telecommunications, trade and investment, banking cooperation, public works and transport, and agriculture were major topics of discussion between Lao and Indonesian government officials last week. The discussion took place during the visit of Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay ...
Japanese investment to bring jobs to nation's south
More Japanese investors are seeking to locate factories at Pakxe-Japan SME Specific Economic Zone in Champassak province in moves set to generate hundreds of jobs for Lao people. Approval of planned investments by the companies is expected between now and the end of this year, ...
Asia’s infrastructure boom is coming to the cities most threatened by climate change
As a region, Asia pours an estimated $881 billion each year into infrastructure. Some recent notable works include the roughly 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) four-lane highway that connects New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, which was completed in 2012; and the approved plan for a metro through ...
Illegal imports investigated, PM outlines urgent efforts for August
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has told the cabinet to intensify efforts to counter the illegal import of more than 5,000 vehicles into Laos. The premier issued the directive at the government’s two-day monthly meeting for July that closed in Vientiane on Tuesday. It was previously ...
China calls for quick development of Sino-Thai rail link
A proposed high-speed railway linking southern China to Thailand’s industrialized Eastern Seaboard should be built “quickly” according to Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, after a meeting on Monday with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. “This Thai-China train project may face problems but the important matter is ...
Forget the South China Sea, this is Asia’s real water war
While tensions in the South China Sea have the potential for limited skirmishes far out to sea, the competition over the resources of the Mekong River is putting millions at risk of natural disasters, famine and regional instability. The Mekong River provides a vital lifeline ...
Xi Jinping To China's Private Sector: Go Home, The New Silk Road Is Not For You
In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced something called the Belt and Road Initiative, which was to be a trillion-dollar framework to guide Chinese foreign investment, infrastructure development, trade, and other international forays. What this initiative actually consists of still remains vague, what its benchmarks ...
Benefits flow as nation, World Bank join hands on water management
The World Bank has approved more than 207.2 billion kip (US$25 million) of additional financing for the Mekong Integrated Water Resource Management Project (MIWRM) in Laos. This additional support will continue to improve the country’s national water resource management systems. The Ministry of Finance and the ...
