Uh oh.....John Kerry says he is sure again. The prime minister of communist Laos assured U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday that this small nation will help counter China's assertiveness in the South China Sea. Laos this year takes the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the group's heads of state scheduled to hold a special meeting next month in Sunnylands, California, at the invitation of President Barack Obama as part of his foreign policy to reach out to the region as a counterweight to China. Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong "was very clear that he wants a unified ASEAN and he wants maritime rights protected and he wants to avoid militarization and avoid the conflict," Kerry told reporters. "And that will develop as we go into Sunnylands, and there will be a greater, I'm sure, articulation of that unity going forward."....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/laos-assures-us-help-counter-chinese-assertiveness-080159765.html
Btw, BO peep plans to visit Laos. With him leaving Office. Do you think they will consider much of what he has to say? Considering they know he has been a failure with overseas policy.
Kerry fails to sway Cambodian leaders on South China Sea..... U.S. Secretary of States John Kerry met Cambodian leaders on Tuesday but failed to secure their commitment to a more robust stance with Southeast Asian nations against China's pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea. Kerry was in Cambodia after a visit to neighboring Laos as part of an effort to urge unity among leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations before a summit with President Barack Obama in Sunnylands, California, next month. Hor Namhong said Cambodia's position on the South China Sea was unchanged. It believed individual countries should settle disputes among themselves without the involvement of ASEAN, he said.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-fails-sway-cambodian-leaders-south-china-sea-100527866.html Well there goes that idea, huh? Cambodia will take the stance that China has.
I lived in Laos from 2007 until 2015. I moved back home before Obama made his historic visit to Laos. From what I was hearing from my Lao friends, the Lao hung on every word Obama said. He also increased the USA's funding towards UXO clearence which is incredibly important to the Lao. Obama walks on water in Laos.
