https://www.scmp.com/rss/524561/feed The latest news and top stories on Thongloun Sisoulith. Known for his extensive political career, he has served as Prime Minister and held key ministerial roles including Foreign Affairs and Labour and Social Welfare. Educated in Laos, the Soviet Union and Vietnam, he is a historian by training. His administration has emphasised non-interference in international affairs, while also improving relations with the US, China and Vietnam. He is recognised for anti-corruption efforts during his... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had a last-minute change of plan when he travelled to Beijing to attend China’s military parade in Tiananmen Square, just hours before it began. Prabowo had earlier decided to cancel the trip because of widespread protests at home. But he showed up for the parade in a grey suit on the morning of September 3, taking a seat at the rostrum beside Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who was to the right of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sources said the Indonesian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325969/how-southeast-asia-showed-its-support-china-and-sent-message-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325969/how-southeast-asia-showed-its-support-china-and-sent-message-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 22:00:20 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow In a move analysts see as both a survival strategy and a calculated signal of dissatisfaction with Asean, Laos has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a dialogue partner. The decision was confirmed on September 1 during the SCO summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, where Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith thanked the Eurasian bloc’s 10 member states for their unanimous support. Laos was “ready to participate in the promotion of peace and stability in the region and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325371/laos-embraces-china-russia-led-sco-amid-frustration-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325371/laos-embraces-china-russia-led-sco-amid-frustration-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The past week has been a flurry of not only state-level diplomacy but also party-to-party outreach, with President Xi Jinping receiving a series of leaders from the four remaining communist countries on a single day. Xi held meetings with leaders from Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam, all of whom attended Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the war against Japanese aggression. While Beijing has no interest in promoting a communist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324543/chinas-party-diplomacy-play-communist-leaders-gather-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324543/chinas-party-diplomacy-play-communist-leaders-gather-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 03:00:19 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow And so it has come to this. After months of threats, intensive shuttle diplomacy and last-minute trade negotiations, Washington’s new tariff regime has finally come into force. For Southeast Asia, whose nations jostled for favour – and relief – from a White House wielding economic might with Donald Trump’s trademark unpredictability, this ledger of punitive levies has laid bare the US president’s vision for a new global trade order: one underpinned by “reciprocal” transactions. The wide spectrum... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3321264/how-southeast-asia-haggled-erratic-us-economic-might?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3321264/how-southeast-asia-haggled-erratic-us-economic-might?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Worries about potential international reprisals and censure, on top of being exposed by Kyiv, may have prevented Laos from sending troops to back Russia in the Ukraine war, analysts say. Laotian state media reported this week that the country had refuted recent claims circulating in foreign news outlets suggesting it was preparing for troop deployment to Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. The reports said Moscow had attempted to persuade Laotian soldiers and citizens to fight in Ukraine by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318702/did-laos-intend-send-troops-ukraine-back-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318702/did-laos-intend-send-troops-ukraine-back-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 06:27:40 +0000