Deputy Prime Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane (right) and SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev shake hands after signing the MoU. --Photo MOFA

Laos formally becomes Shanghai Cooperation Organisation dialogue partner

Laos has formally become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), marking an important step in expanding the country’s international engagement and cooperation.
The status was formalised on July 10, when the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Thongsavanh Phomvihane, and the SCO Secretary-General, Mr Nurlan Yermekbayev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the organisation’s headquarters in Beijing, China, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The agreement opens the way for closer cooperation between Laos and SCO member countries across a range of sectors, including economic development, trade, investment, transport, tourism, digital transformation and regional connectivity.
Previously, on September 1, 2025, at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in North China’s Tianjin Municipality, the heads of SCO member states unanimously agreed to accept Laos as a dialogue partner. To date, the SCO has 10 full member states, two observer states, and 15 dialogue partners, including Laos, according to a CCTV News report.
During the signing ceremony, Mr Thongsavanh said the agreement represents an important milestone in relations between Laos and the SCO. He reaffirmed Laos’ commitment to strengthen cooperation through the SCO’s different mechanisms and programmes, the Lao foreign ministry said.
Both sides discussed future directions for collaboration between Laos and the SCO member states, focusing on priority areas that will deliver practical benefits to member countries.
Mr Thongsavanh praised the SCO as a strong regional organisation that promotes cooperation among countries in Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. He expressed confidence that the SCO will continue supporting Laos through its cooperation frameworks to promote peace, security and regional stability, while advancing economic cooperation and sustainable development.
He also highlighted the importance Laos places on digital transformation as a driver of higher quality socio-economic development and said the country looks forward to expanding cooperation with the SCO in this and other priority areas.
Mr Yermekbayev commended the positive relationship between the SCO and Laos and reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to support the country’s development through its cooperation mechanisms.
A Chinese expert said cooperation with regional mechanisms such as the SCO is an important option for Laos to tackle the security and development challenges it faces.
 Laos has increasingly focused its national development efforts on economic growth in recent years, which aligns with the SCO’s evolving role in expanding economic cooperation, the director of the Center of Southeast Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Zhou Shixin, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.
 Zhou noted that in addition to traditional security issues, the SCO has placed growing emphasis on cooperation in areas such as economic development and connectivity.
Laos, a landlocked nation at the centre of the Mekong sub-region, is emerging as a key link between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The China-Laos Railway, an important gateway between China and the sub-region, has become a key component of the regional transport network, placing Laos in a strong position to enhance connectivity with SCO member states.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update July 13, 2026)