Economy

Laos Cuts 7-Day Base Interest Rate to 7% as Economic Risks Persist

The Bank of Laos (BOL) has cut its seven-day base interest rate from 8 percent to 7 percent a year as inflation remains below the government’s 8 percent target. The Monetary Policy Committee approved the cut at its meeting on 20 August, where it reviewed monetary policy, economic conditions, fuel...

Prime Minister Calls for Tighter Oversight of Boten SEZ Amid Development Challenges

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has called for stronger management of the Boten Special Economic...

Laos-China Railway Trade Surges as Cross-Border Freight Hits New Highs

Trade along the Laos-China Railway continued to grow sharply in the first half of...

Laos Identifies Two New Rare Earth Target Areas Across Four Provinces

Laos has completed field surveys and identified two major potential rare earth target areas...

Laos Studies USD 1 Billion Vientiane-Lidu Industrial Park in Pakngum

On 13 August, Laos agreed to study the development of a new industrial park...

Coal-Fired Power Plant in Xekong to Generate Power for Cambodia

The Phonesack Group Co., Ltd is investing USD 4 billion in the construction of a large coal-fired thermal power plant in Xekong Province, with...

Asian Development Bank Predicts 3.9 Percent Economic Growth for Laos in 2025

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) officially launched the Asian Development Outlook April 2025 at the ADB’s Lao Resident Mission (LRM) office in Vientiane. According to...

Trump Stuns With Tariff Backtrack but Punishes China

By Danny Kemp with Sam Davies in Beijing/AFP - United States President Donald Trump abruptly paused tariffs on most countries on 9 April after...

Lao Students Shine at Math, Science Olympics in the Philippines

Students from the Australian International School (AIS) of Laos have concluded this year’s Philippine International Math and Science Olympics (PIMSO). The delegation of eight students,...

Lao Universities Unite to Reform Higher Education Under EU-Funded Project

Laos is undertaking significant reforms to its higher education framework to align with international standards.  In line with this mission, from 31 March to 2...

United States, China Clash as Trump Set to Unleash More Tariffs

By Ben Sheppard and Beiyi Seow with Sam Davies in Beijing/AFP - On 8 April, the United States and China hurtled towards an all-out...