Laos embraces China, Russia-led SCO amid frustration with Asean

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 sustainable development”, he reportedly told delegates, adding that the bloc’s principles “align with Laos’ guidelines and foreign policies”.

Aniello Iannone, a lecturer in Southeast Asian politics at Indonesia’s Diponegoro University, described Vientiane’s choice to join the SCO as both “pragmatic and strategic”.