Laos hydropower

Mounting foreign liabilities and thin foreign exchange reserves have left the nation of 7 million acutely vulnerable to global financial shocks.

The deal will deepen China's involvement in the Lao government's goal of transforming itself into the "battery of Southeast Asia."

The U.N.'s cultural agency fears that the project might endanger the World Heritage-listed town of Luang Prabang.

The Sanakham dam is one of seven mega-dams that the landlocked country is planning, in defiance of environmental and economic sense.

But costs and competition could leave the putative "battery of Southeast Asia" running on empty.

Its economy battered by COVID-19, the nation's sovereign reserves have fallen to less than $1 billion, putting it on the brink of default.

The World Heritage site in Laos is endangered by mega-projects and Mekong dams.

The former colonial power continues to retain influence in the Southeast Asian state.

As discussions continue, the future of one of the world’s greatest rivers is as bleak as ever.

A third mainstream dam raises the threat posed to the river's future.

Recent signals suggest that there might be a new era of better ties between the two Southeast Asian states.