Government
International relations
Centre opens to promote Langcang- Mekong cooperation
The Global Centre for Mekong Studies of Laos (GCMS-Laos) in Vientiane officially opened to the public on Wednesday, to promote cooperation among the six countries of the Lancang-Mekong region. Keep reading ...
China eyes its next prize – the Mekong
Beijing’s islands-building in the South China Sea and their militarisation, replete with surface-to-air missiles, is near complete. With guile, threat, and coercion, China can now seize control of one of the main transport arteries of Southeast Asia, making a mockery of international laws and norms. ...
Chinese Gaining Influence over Foreign Airports
China’s economic weight and influence continue to effect change in the air transport industry as a growing number of Chinese firms look beyond its borders for investment opportunities in foreign airports. The most recent wave of outbound investment appears some 30 miles outside Cambodia’s tourist ...
Thailand plans regional infrastructure fund to reduce China dependence
Thailand is taking the lead in creating a regional fund with its neighbors, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, to back infrastructure and other development projects and to lessen reliance on Chinese investment. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is expected to propose the idea to the leaders of ...
GMS Countries to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Food Safety, Agriculture
Senior agriculture officials from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) agreed to increase regional cooperation in food safety, boost the trading of climate-friendly agriculture products, and accelerate the implementation of the five-year GMS Strategy and Siem Reap Action Plan endorsed by ...
MRC vows to be among first paperless organizations in Laos
The Mekong River Commission Secretariat has vowed to become one of the first paperless organizations in Laos as part of its efforts to protect environment and promote regional sustainable growth. Keep reading ...
Chinese Whispers in Yangon as Myanmar Weighs Rohingya Deal With UN
The Myanmar government is in a bind. In order to stave off Western sanctions for its alleged mistreatment of the Rohingya, it is considering signing a memorandum with UN agencies that would set terms for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. But China does ...
Myanmar and UN announce deal for return of Rohingya
Myanmar’s government has announced an agreement with two UN agencies for the return of refugees who fled violence in Rakhine state, but Rohingya have expressed concerns that it does not do enough to guarantee their safety. Keep reading ...
Myanmar Military Targets Other Ethnic Groups After Driving Rohingya Out
Myanmar’s military, fresh off a bloody campaign that drove most of the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority into neighboring Bangladesh, has launched a new offensive against the armed forces of an ethnic group along the northern border with China using helicopter gunships, jet fighters and heavy ...
A Fragile New ‘Normal’ Descends on South China Sea Claimants
The United States and China have apparently reached a tacit agreement to disagree and maintain a leaky status quo in the South China Sea. Not coincidentally, relations on this issue between Asean claimants and between Asean and China are more or less at the same place. Keep ...
