China's influence on Laos' infrastructure investment and Lao people's views on it - the case study of China-Laos railway

Abstract

This paper addresses the following question: "Given that China's economic contribution to the China-Laos Railway project is greater than Laos', will China have greater influence in the project than Laos?" In recent years, China and Laos have developed increasingly close relations. In addition, the China-Laos railway has been completed by the end of 2021 as a result of China's continued implementation of its "One Belt, One Road" policy. In the first section of the article, this context is described in detail. Laos has always been the only landlocked nation on the Indo-China Peninsula, and the construction of railways within its borders has progressed slowly. In addition, there is no sea exit, which severely hinders the growth of import-export trade, tourism, and logistics. In the second section of the article, the first railway in Laos will be studied, along with a thorough description of the China-Laos railway and a description of the direct incorporation of Chinese elements. Comparative analysis is used in the third section to compare the economic assistance of the United States to Laos, the help of the Soviet Union to China, and the cooperation between China and Laos. Laos has transitioned from a "landlocked country" to a "land-linked country," and its advantageous geographical location is anticipated to facilitate its continued development. Everything, however, has two sides. China is responsible for a substantial portion of the China-Laos railway project, as evidenced by its economic organization structure. The disparity in the proportion of financial and technical contributions to the project places the Lao side at a disadvantage in the project, and the project may become overly dependent on the support provided by the Chinese side during its implementation. Due to the fact that the China-Laos Railway has been operational for less than a year, this article will also reference the subjective opinions and evaluations of a few Lao bloggers on the We-Media regarding the China-Laos Railway Project. Thus, the differences and similarities between the aforementioned three types of cooperation can be better explained. The fourth section is the conclusion of the entire paper.