Laos opened a new $6 billion rail link with China to much fanfare this month, but analysts warn the party could be short-lived as the government grapples with a potential debt crisis.
The line will connect the capital Vientiane with the southern Chinese city of Kunming, and there are grand plans for a high-speed rail network running to Singapore through Thailand and Malaysia.
Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith at the opening heralded a “new era of modern infrastructure development” for the impoverished country, adding that “the dreams of Lao people have come true”.
