China's Belt Road Initiative poised to boost Lao economy

A part of the first rail line linking China to Laos, a key part of Beijing's 'Belt and Road' project across the Mekong, in Luang Prabang. - AFP

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is expected to be a key factor in converting Laos from a landlocked to a land-linked country and driving a skyrocketing economy.

The initiative is a trade route linking the country to Asean (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Africa, Europe and Latin America, the Acting President of the National Institute for Economic Research in Laos, Leeber Leebouapao said on Wednesday (March 25).