International Cooperation

Laos, China Launch Digital Payment Link For Cross-Border Transactions

Laos and China have launched a new digital payment link that allows Chinese visitors to pay Lao businesses using China’s digital yuan, without needing to exchange cash into Lao kip. The system connects China’s digital yuan, known as e-CNY, with Laos’ domestic QR payment network. A Chinese visitor can now...

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signing...

Laos Warns of Lasting Toll at Vientiane Meeting as Cluster Munition Use Rises Worldwide

Laos is hosting the Convention on Cluster Munitions’ Third Review Conference 16 years after...

Laos, Kazakhstan Seek New Railway Links to Expand Trade

Laos and Kazakhstan are exploring new railway and logistics links that could open a...

Thongloun Pushes Multilateralism at SCO Summit, Deepens India, Kyrgyzstan Ties

President Thongloun Sisoulith attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Plus Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,...

Laos to Upgrade National Road No. 12 in 2025, Enhancing Thailand-Vietnam-China Trade Link

Laos will begin upgrading National Road No. 12 in late 2025. The project, expected to take around 30 months, aims to improve the 147-kilometer...

Cambodia to File Complaint With ICJ Over Thai Border Dispute

AFP - Cambodia will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over border disputes with Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Manet said...

Laos Signs Agreement to Build Longest Highway Connecting Laos, Vietnam

The Lao government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Phongsavanh Group Co., Ltd. to develop the country’s longest expressway, marking a major...

At Shangri-La Dialogue, Macron Warns of Superpower Tensions, Calls for New Bloc

The Laotian Times/AFP’s Damon Wake and Francesco Fontemaggi - French President Emmanuel Macron on 30 May speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore urged...

Timor-Leste to Become ASEAN’s 11th Member, Says Malaysian PM

Timor-Leste will be accepted as the 11th full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced. According to...

Thongloun’s Tokyo Visit Seals New Chapter in Laos–Japan Strategic Partnership

Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith paid an official visit to Japan on 29 May, where he held a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba...