2021-opened $6bn Laos-China railway, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, boosts Chinese investment in Laos.

China's $6bn Laos-China railway, opened in 2021, is part of Beijing's geopolitical expansion in Southeast Asia and is linked to the Belt and Road Initiative. Managed by the Laos-China Railway Co, a joint venture between Laos and Chinese state-owned enterprises, the railway has boosted Chinese investment and economic growth for Laos. However, concerns about Laos' growing dependence on China persist.