Nước Lào giữ chức chủ tịch ASEAN năm nay. Với những số tiền lớn Tảu Cộng bỏ ra , thái độ nước Lào trên những tranh chấp Biển Đông sẽ nghiêng hẳn về phía Trung Quốc. Tàu nó đă làm cú này với Cao Miên năm nào.
Vietnam Fears Isolation on South China Sea Issue
On April 23, one day before Bounnhang’s visit to Vietnam, Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the prime minister’s Office in Vientiane. According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister took the opportunity to reaffirm Laos’ desire for warm ties with China:
"Thongloun Sisoulith asked Wang Yi to convey his warm greetings to Premier Li Keqiang and expressed that Laos has benefited much from China’s great help for a long time. China’s assistance in the launch of Laos’ first artificial satellite, along with the co-construction of the Laos-China railway, will strongly promote Laos’ development. The new government of Laos is willing to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China. Laos welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and conduct business in Laos and will create better conditions for them. Laos stands ready to work with China to continuously promote ASEAN-China cooperation."
For Vietnam, government and public opinion alike, it was jarring to see Laos take this position on the South China Sea, particularly as the country and Vietnam are often described as “brothers.” Even more importantly, Laos is the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, meaning its decision on every issue can have a significant influence on the region.
While holding the role of ASEAN chair, Laos is weighing the pros and cons of its different diplomatic options. Thongloun’s first diplomatic outing is scheduled to be a trip to Russia from May 19-20, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia diplomatic relations. Vietnam will watch carefully, because of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s previous comments against the internationalization of the South China Sea disputes.
Laos is now not only a close friend of Vietnam, but a diplomatic VIP, courted by numerous parties. For Hanoi, that may mean losing a long-time partner’s support on the South China Sea issue.
http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/vietn...ina-sea-issue/
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