Asean finance leaders end meetings in Laos, pointing to challenges from geopolitics and volatile prices

Laotian Finance Minister Santiphab Phomvihane, second right, addresses media at the conclusion of finance ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Luang Prabang, Laos Friday, April 5, 2024. To his left sits the governor of the Bank of Laos, Xonexay Sithphaxay, and two other Laotian senior officials. - AP

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP): South-East Asian economies are gaining ground as tourism and exports recover from the shocks of the pandemic, but geopolitical tensions and volatile commodity prices still pose serious risks, regional financial leaders said Friday.

Laos’ Finance Minister Santiphab Phomvihane read out a joint statement following meetings among finance ministers at a hotel in the Laotian city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO heritage site, but he made no other remarks and took no questions.