Government

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 20 that he aims to improve ties with China by capitalizing on key anniversaries for bilateral relations in the next few years, a Japanese government spokesman said. The two leaders held impromptu talks while ...

Laos and Australia concluded a customs related agreement in Vientiane last week, aiming to promote customs-to-customs ties between the two countries. According to a press rel ease from the Australia Embassy in Vientiane, Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg is visiting the region to further ...

Amendments to the Investment Promotion Law offer more tax incentives and shorter investment concession periods in a bid to attract more investors while ensuring closer scrutiny of their operations. A draft amendment to the law, which was passed by the National Assembly last week, shortens ...

China has said its army is on high alert after armed groups in Myanmar attacked military and police posts close to their shared border at the weekend and that it would act to protect its citizens and their property in the area. The official Xinhua ...

ASEAN and Japanese defence ministers have agreed to further enhance their cooperation on politics, security, economics, and socio-cultural affairs. As a result of positive relations in these areas to date, Japan has become one of the most important dialogue partners and supporters of ASEAN. Lao ...

Chief constitution writer Meechai Ruchupan on November 16 said all independent agencies, including the Constitutional Court, would be treated equally regarding the disqualification of members as stipulated by new organic laws, adding the Constitution Drafting Commission had no intention to bully the Election Commission. The drafters ...

A chorus of international outrage was struck immediately after the sentencing of opposition politician Rafizi Ramli for disclosing part of the Auditor General’s report into the 1MDB corruption scandal, which has severely damaged Malaysia’s reputation in business and politics. London based Amnesty International immediately called ...

The government and international organisations with a presence in Laos have held a pre-consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals in preparation for the 2016 Round Table Implementation Meeting to be held from November 24-25 in Vientiane province. The 2016 Round Table Implementation Meeting SDG Pre-consultation took ...

From China and Japan to India and the countries of south-east Asia, leaders are being confronted by the unknowns of a new American president. Donald Trump’s victory has the potential to radically redraw the geopolitical landscape in Asia, where Barack Obama has been trying to counterbalance ...

Over the past five years, Singapore’s investments in Việt Nam have nearly doubled. Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister, Lim Hng Kiang, emphasises the development of longstanding economic relations between Singapore and Việt Nam, which have yielded concrete outcomes, including creation of the Việt Nam-Singapore Industrial ...