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The geopolitical aspects of this are important. China has been long fighting to expand its sphere of influence into SE Asia. Vietnam pissed off China when it
by refurb 4y ago
The geopolitical aspects of this are important.
China has been long fighting to expand its sphere of influence into SE Asia.
Vietnam pissed off China when it invaded Cambodia to dispose the Khmer Rouge which led to the Sino-Vietnam war of 1979.
The Laos government is very cozy with the Vietnamese government so no doubt the Belt and Road initiative is concerning to Vietnam in terms of its influence on Laos.
- rippercushions 4y agoLaos is small, weak and thinly populated. Their diplomacy consists of playing off the great(er) powers that surround them, namely Thailand, Vietnam and China, with varying degrees of success. Now that the China-Laos rail link is complete, they're busily angling for another to the port of Vung Ang in Vietnam. Fun fact: northeastern Thailand (Isaan) is ethnically and culturally Lao, and to this day has far more Lao speakers than Laos itself. The current rump state of Laos on the east bank of the Mekong was carved off by the French as a colony.