Politics

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...

Vientiane Court Hands Life Sentences to Former Bank Employees in Major Corruption Cases

A court in Vientiane gave life sentences to several former bank employees for corruption....

Laos, Kazakhstan Seek New Railway Links to Expand Trade

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

Recharging Asia’s Battery: What Obama Should Do in Laos

Next week, Barack Obama will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos, a poor, landlocked country whose large-scale efforts to dam the...

Laotian, Hmong Americans Cautiously Optimistic Ahead of Obama’s Laos Visit

Some Laotian Americans and Hmong Americans are cautiously optimistic about President Barack Obama's visit to Laos next week. Obama will be the first U.S....

Laos Minister Frets Over ‘Too Many Foreign Language Signs’ In Capital

Vientiane still has many advertising hoardings written in foreign languages and authorities need to work harder to address the issue, Laos’ Deputy Minister of...

Vietnam Considers Buying Electricity From Laos to Ease Reliance On China

Vietnam may import electricity from Laos to minimize the risks from relying on Chinese imports and to offset supply shortages caused by cutting off...

Laos & Venezuela Present Candidatures to Co-Chair Joint Regional Forum

GUATEMALA CITY – Laos and Venezuela presented their candidatures to co-chair the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), the only body exclusively meant...

Obama to Visit Laos As Country Opens Up to Vietnam & US Influence

The secretive communist government of Laos, a country with a population of less than 7 million, rarely causes a ripple on the diplomatic circuit....