Economy and industry
Infrastructure: Japan and China fight over 'the soul' of Asia
When the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, visited Beijing in October 2016, shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and announced the “separation” of his country from the United States, it felt like a pivotal moment. []The Philippines, like other states such as Cambodia ...
China-Laos railway completes first continuous beam block construction on Mekong River
The concrete casting for the first block of the Luang Prabang cross-Mekong River super major bridge’ continuous beam along the China-Laos Railway was completed on Sept. 17, the Chinese contractor told Xinhua on Saturday. Yan Haiyong, CPC party secretary of the China Railway No.8 Engineering ...
Mekong region mulls single visa for five Chiang cities
A single-visa scheme for five Chiang cities across Thailand, Myanmar, China and Laos is in the works. The five cities comprise Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand, Chiang Tun in Myanmar’s Shan State, Chiang Rung in China’s Jinhong (Yunnan) and Chiang Thong in Laos’ ...
Thailand: Govt mulls plan for 1 visa, 5 cities
The plan for a single visa for “Five Chiang Cities” will be proposed to spur tourism among four countries in the Mekong Region and add quality tourists to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces of Thailand. The five Chiang cities in the scheme comprise Thailand’s Chiang ...
South Korean CSOs Want Government, Company to be Accountable For Lao Dam Disaster
South Korean civil society organizations called for their government and the main partner in a joint venture to take responsibility for the deadly breach of an auxiliary dam at the South Korean-backed Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Laos, which left at least 40 ...
Cross-border zone in North could boost trade links
The government is studying the feasibility of establishing a cross-border economic zone in the Golden Triangle under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation scheme to expand economic links for Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China. Keep reading ...
Regional CSOs Boycott Mekong River Forum Over Opposition to Lao Dam
Thai and Cambodian civil society organizations rejected an invitation from the Lao government to attend a regional stakeholder forum on the Pak Lay dam, saying that the prior notification and consultation procedures for the controversial hydropower project are not transparent. Keep reading ...
Save the Mekong calls for dam review
Pressure is mounting on the Lao PDR government to conduct a fresh impact assessment study of a proposed fourth dam on the lower Mekong River according to Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-government organisations. The call for a review and a fresh impact assessment coincided ...
Laos Accused of Copy-Pasting Dam Impact Survey
An official impact assessment for a controversial new Lao dam on the Mekong river has been directly copied and pasted in parts from a previous project, a coalition of groups fighting to protect the river has alleged. The allegation came as Mekong River Commission (MRC) ...
Mekong has its moment
Mekong Tourism was highlighted alongside AirBnB and Grab in a new research report Data & Digital Platforms: Driving Tourism Growth in Asia Pacific’. The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office’s social media campaign platform MekongMoments.com, featured in research published by PATA and Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics ...