China

Laos

Economics

Politics

Laos' public and publicly guaranteed debt stands at 123% of gross domestic product per the International Monetary Fund, Nikkei Asia reported on Sept. 22.

Laos: Critical Debt Level Drives Loss of Sovereignty Fears

Energy

Laos is proceeding with the Phou Ngoy Dam project, the seventh of its nine planned hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River, despite social and environmental worries, BenarNews reported June 8. 

Laos: Vientiane Pushes Ahead with Seventh Mekong Dam

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Military & Security

Kao Kim Hourn, the secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the bloc and Japan will elevate ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" before or during a special summit celebrating 50 years of relations in December, Kyodo News reported March 8.

Japan, ASEAN: 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' Is Forthcoming

United States

Cyber

U.S.-China Relations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) circulated an alert revealing that Chinese-linked hackers stole 30 GB of data and over 10,000 emails from ASEAN countries and the ASEAN secretariat in February 2022, BenarNews reported March 3.

China, ASEAN: Trove of Stolen Data Revealed Ahead of South China Sea Negotiations

Agriculture

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Gasoline prices in Laos are causing fuel shortages and inhibiting work commutes and agricultural processes like plowing, Radio Free Asia reported May 23.

Laos: Fuel Shortage Threatens Regional Labor Flows, Domestic Food Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

ASEAN leaders met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, and Biden announced that the United States would invest $150 million in special funding in the region, The Straits Times reported May 13.

ASEAN: U.S. Announces Investment in Region After Leaders Meet Biden in Washington

COVID-19

Supply Chains

Security

Social Issues

Crossing Borders

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Human Rights Watch published a report claiming that the Myanmar military junta was blocking humanitarian aid through movement restrictions, attacks on aid workers and disruptions to critical infrastructures, The Diplomat reported Dec. 14.

Myanmar: Blocked Aid May Spur Refugee Flows Amid Labor Shortages

The New Silk Road

China in Transition

The thousand-kilometer China-Laos high-speed railway opened, linking the Laotian capital of Vientiane to China’s southern hub of Kunming after five years of construction, South China Morning Post reported Dec. 3.

Laos, China: High-Speed Railway Opens, Benefits Unclear

Snapshots

Regional leaders pose for a group photo before the ASEAN-Australia summit, held as part of the 43rd ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 7, 2023. From left to right stand the Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

ASEAN's most recent summit underscored chronic passivity within the bloc that will only worsen in 2024. 

Amid ASEAN's Inaction, the Block's Members Look to External Partners for Security

Assessments

A Chinese coast guard ship sails past anchored Philippine fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea, on Feb. 3, 2023.

A binding code of conduct in the South China Sea remains unlikely, despite the resumption of negotiations between claimant states.

With No Deal in Sight, South China Sea Claimants Continue to Militarize

Columns

On Security

Australia

France

United Kingdom

Rising competition with the West and more programs designed to counter China's BRI will prompt Beijing to expand its intelligence-collection efforts.

China's Cyberespionage Will Remain Robust and Expansive in Southeast Asia

Media

South Korea

Graphics

The response to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries surrounding China could vary widely depending on the level of health infrastructure in those nations.

Countries with underdeveloped resources will be more at risk for an undetected outbreak.

Where Limited Health Infrastructure Leaves Coronavirus Vulnerabilities

New Zealand

India

The proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, would encompass almost half the world's population and a third of its economic output.

Globalization

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

For all it encompasses -- 16 countries, almost half the world's population and a third of its economic output -- the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership's boost to trade will remain modest as long as it sidesteps nontariff barriers.

Asian Free Trade Proposal Is Broad in Scope, Narrow in Focus

On Geopolitics

The Chinese guided-missile frigate Wuhu visits Manila, Philippines, in January. Under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines has pursued a relationship with China, its South China Sea competitor, in addition to maintaining a vestige of its traditional alliance with the United States.

Southeast Asian states find themselves in a prime position to extract benefits from the great power competition between the United States and China without the responsibilities of alliances with Washington or Beijing.

In China's Backyard, Charting the Course of Most Advantage

Mongolia

Armenia

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Russia

Iran

Turkey

Bangladesh

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

A rail link in China's New Silk Road

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

Instability in Central Asia

Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative has earned comparisons to the Marshall Plan for its ambitious, multinational scope. But the program is as much about developing the country's interior as it is forging ties beyond its borders.

China Paves the Way for a New Silk Road

China's Belt and Road Initiative

Asia-Pacific

Can ASEAN Be Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts?

The bloc's "all or none" mantra has never made decisive collective action easy.

Reflections

Thailand Embarks on a New Era

The death of the revered king could revive the political disorder that paralyzed the country for much of the past decade.

Geography Stymies Southeast Asian Integration

The political barriers that divide ASEAN today are a consequence of the geographic barriers scattered throughout the region.

ASEAN: The Limits of Consensus

The bloc's path toward deeper integration will remain as slow and disjointed as it has been for the past half-century. 

ASEAN: Further Apart, Not Closer Together

The bloc is uniquely unable to confront the geopolitical realities of the region in which it was formed.

Laos stands at the crossroads of Mainland Southeast Asia. Fully landlocked, the country is isolated by mountains and surrounded by powerful neighbors, including China and Myanmar to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. This geography has made Laos closely entangled in its region's geopolitical competitions. Since it was established as an independent entity in the 14th century, Laos has oscillated between serving as a land bridge for trade and communications and acting as a buffer between its more powerful neighbors. During its history, Laos has acted as both a vassal state and an invasion frontier for its larger neighbors.     The country's primary geographic challenge is to secure its borders against threats from its powerful neighbors. The western highland means Laos has shared trade, ethnicity and religion with present day Thailand and, to lesser degree, Myanmar, but it also invited repeated invasions until the Laotian border retreated to the natural geographic barrier of the Mekong River. To the east, the Annamite Mountain Range and Annam Highlands provide a strong, albeit passable, barrier to Vietnamese expansion.     Despite the protection they bring, the country's rugged mountain ranges and Mekong River tributaries also make Laos difficult to govern. Because of this, Laos has been vulnerable to external exploitation throughout its history. On the other hand, the mountains provide ample water for hydropower and numerous natural mineral and coal resources, though the terrain and climate limit agricultural activity.     Because of its landlocked status, resource scarcity and powerful neighbors, Laos has limited options to secure sea access, economic lifelines or a strong defense. It has typically gained these by exploiting differences among its neighbors, accommodating them politically or by gaining the backing of an external power, as it did with France in the early 20th century. Today, enhanced road, rail and power linkages with Indochina place Laos at a crossroads for trade and communication. However, this also means China's expanded influence in the region puts considerable pressure on Laos.

SITUATION REPORTS

Laos: Critical Debt Level Drives Loss of Sovereignty Fears

Laos: Vientiane Pushes Ahead with Seventh Mekong Dam

Japan, ASEAN: 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' Is Forthcoming

China, ASEAN: Trove of Stolen Data Revealed Ahead of South China Sea Negotiations

Laos: Fuel Shortage Threatens Regional Labor Flows, Domestic Food Security

ASEAN: U.S. Announces Investment in Region After Leaders Meet Biden in Washington

Myanmar: Blocked Aid May Spur Refugee Flows Amid Labor Shortages

Laos, China: High-Speed Railway Opens, Benefits Unclear

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