Laos leaning away from China and towards Vietnam

THE Trump administration is actively engaging Laos, not just cosmetically by hiring the celebrated Laotian-American designer Tham Kannalikham to redecorate the White House. It has also begun trade talks with Laos, as the new Laotian leadership is showing signs of tilting away from China.

The shift began with the leadership change in Laos in April last year, when the National Assembly appointed the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Secretary-General Bounnhang Vorachit to the post of the country's President, and promoted Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to Prime Minister.

As head of both the party and the state, Mr Bounnhang is crafting a new foreign policy, as he has extreme…