Phnom Penh poor uprooted as lakes filled in for malls, flats

Lay Sremeth and her family have lived on a narrow stretch of land by Phnom Penh’s Boeung Tompoun lake for three decades, fishing in its water and growing rice on its bank. But shortly after authorities approved filling in parts of the lake with sand and ...

As local residents question Belt and Road impacts, China and Myanmar remain silent

Chinese investment in projects for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is changing the homes, economies, and environments of people across Myanmar, often in conflict zones. In some cases, those affected by the projects are calling for the government to stop or alter Chinese-backed projects ...

Skylar Lindsay

Kokko Chinatown project sparks concerns in Tak

Border towns are often labelled as remote villages without modern infrastructure or amenities. However, recent economic policies such as the development of special economic zones and foreign investment have led to the urbanisation of these rural areas. A clear example of this can be seen in Mae ...

Assawin Pinitwong

China’s Belt and Road Initiative criticised for poor standards and ‘wasteful’ spending

China’s massive infrastructure spending in Southeast Asian nations under the Belt and Road Initiative has run into a series of problems including substandard work and money wasted on unprofitable projects, a new report has warned. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping ...

Teddy Ng

China bids to bring Yangon into a modern age

Across the river from Myanmar’s colonial-era old capital of Yangon, low-slung shanties dot rice fields that extend into a bucolic rural distance. But that could soon change if local property developers and their deep-pocketed Chinese backers build the Yangon New City Project, an ultra-modern design with ...

ADB boosts support for region

In prioritising Southeast Asia in its assistance, the multilateral lender would get involved in many operations in the region, said Ramesh Subramaniam, the director general of the bank’s Southeast Asia department. Subramaniam told the ADB annual meeting yesterday that the development lender would invest around US$5 ...

Khine Kyaw

New China-Laos joint project to power up electricity distribution in Laos' capital

The new 500 kV and 230 kV transmission lines to be installed in Laos’ capital Vientiane, a joint project between Lao and Chinese companies, will ensure more Lao people to have sufficient power, officials here have said. The new power lines will transmit electricity from hydropower ...

Will China Undermine Its Own Influence in Southeast Asia Through the Belt and Road?

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is China’s grand plan to revive ancient trading routes over both land and sea. Since its inception in late 2013, how China has influenced Southeast Asia through the BRI has become central to the debate on China’s keynote global outreach ...

Xue Gong

Southeast Asia launches $1 billion facility for green infrastructure

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and major financiers on Thursday launched a facility to spur more than $1 billion in green infrastructure investments across Southeast Asia. The facility offers loans and technical assistance for sovereign projects in areas such ...

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Blessing or curse?

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US$260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in ...

Jason Thomas

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