Asean

People in such countries, especially the ASEAN countries, believe that the secret of Japan's remarkable economic growth is education.

The ASEAN nations have come a long way.

The letters ASEAN stand for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Future prospects for ASEAN seem unstable, no matter how you look at it.

Laos held the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2016.

Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.

Burma served as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2014.

In 2015, Singapore formed, with the other ASEAN members, the ASEAN Economic Community.

Created four decades ago as an economic grouping, ASEAN ratified its charter last December in an effort to expand its influence in Asian and global affairs.

Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King Fa Ngum. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century, when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.