Lao PDR's Perceptions and Strategies toward China's Belt and Road Initiative

The purpose of this article is to clarify Laos’ perceptions and strategies toward China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The article argues that China’s growing influence over Southeast Asia, including Laos, and Laos’ increasingly urgent need for investment and improvement for its weak infrastructure have propelled Laos to become the most receptive country in Southeast Asia to support China’s BRI. Besides, Laos is the only landlocked country in the heart of the Greater Mekong region. Futhermore, the country still remains one of the poorest in Southeast Asia, and in one the world’s least developed countries. Therefore, the Lao government aims to transistion from a “landlocked” to a “land-linked” country. An improved highway network would move the country one step closer to achieving its landlinked strategy. Thus, Laos sees China’s BRI as a significant tool to promote its landlinked strategy. Accordingly, the Lao government’s welcoming attitude towards China’s BRI. As a result, China so far is the largest investor and aid donor on the country and has provided numberous development aid and invested in major infrastructure insighful views to better understand the current China’s BRI strategy in Southeast Asia and regional countries’ response to this initiative