BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. President of
Laos Thongloun Sisoulith paid an official visit to Kazakhstan on
September 3–4, 2026, marking the first such visit in the history of
bilateral relations. Among the key issues addressed during the
talks were the expansion of bilateral trade and the development of
transport connectivity.
For Laos, cooperation with Kazakhstan may be significant not
only from the perspective of expanding bilateral trade, but also in
terms of improving access to the markets of Central Asia and
Europe. Kazakhstan, for its part, is interested in expanding the
presence of its products in Southeast Asian markets and developing
new transport routes.
During the meetings, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart
Tokayev emphasized the considerable potential for increasing
supplies of Kazakh goods to the Lao market. These include products
from the metallurgical, food, petrochemical, agricultural, and
chemical industries, as well as mechanical engineering and
pharmaceuticals.
Against this backdrop, one of the initial areas of cooperation
could be the expansion and diversification of Kazakh exports to
Laos. At the same time, Astana’s interest extends beyond bilateral
trade, as Kazakhstan views Laos as a potential link to markets in
Southeast Asia.
“We see an opportunity to use our transport corridors to provide
Lao products with access to the markets of Central Asia and Europe.
Kazakhstan is interested in expanding supplies of its products to
the markets of Southeast Asia through Laos. In turn, we highly
appreciate Laos’ success in transitioning from a “landlocked
country” to a “country serving as a connecting link” in Southeast
Asia. The Laos-China railway has significantly strengthened the
country’s transit potential and opened up new opportunities for
connecting ASEAN with China and Europe,” the President of
Kazakhstan said.
For Laos, Kazakhstan’s potential significance lies primarily in
its strategic transport position. At present, approximately 85% of
all land freight transportation between China and Europe passes
through Kazakhstan. The country is also developing transport
infrastructure in the Chinese direction, including the Khorgos
area, while the Kazakhstan-China logistics terminal at the port of
Lianyungang provides cargo with access to international maritime
routes.
This infrastructure could potentially also facilitate the
movement of Lao goods westward. Over the longer term, a freight
route could connect Laos with Kazakhstan through China and
subsequently extend toward Central Asian and European markets. At
the same time, such a route remains a potential prospect, as no
established direct transport corridor between Kazakhstan and Laos
currently exists.
For Kazakhstan, meanwhile, cooperation with Laos could create an
opportunity to expand access to Southeast Asian markets. In 2021,
the China-Laos railway was opened, connecting Laos with China’s
railway network. In spring 2026, Laos approved the first stage of
the Laos-Vietnam railway construction project, with its launch
tentatively planned for 2030. Its implementation could potentially
create additional opportunities for cargo to access Vietnam’s port
infrastructure.
At the same time, Kazakhstan continues to strengthen the western
direction of its transport routes. Over the past five years, the
volume of transportation along the Trans-Caspian International
Transport Route increased 5.6 times – from 800,000 to 4.5 million
tons. The ports of Aktau and Kuryk are being developed, new
terminals are being built, and berths are being reconstructed. By
2030, the combined capacity of Kazakhstan’s seaports is planned to
increase from 21.8 million to 30 million tons, while by 2029 the
fleet is expected to be supplemented by eight new vessels,
including dry cargo ships and container ships.
In this context, Kazakhstan can offer Laos a combination of
three opportunities – supplies of its own industrial and
agricultural products, access to transport infrastructure, and
potential access for Lao cargo to broader markets in Central Asia
and Europe.
However, specific agreements are needed to turn these
opportunities into sustainable cargo flows.
“I propose that our governments focus on concluding relevant
intergovernmental and interagency agreements in the field of
transport and logistics,” Tokayev said.
The practical implementation of these agreements will show how
quickly cooperation between Kazakhstan and Laos can move from
political statements to regular trade and transport operations. For
Laos, Kazakhstan could become an additional channel to the markets
of Central Asia and Europe, while for Kazakhstan, Laos could become
a potential link for expanding its presence in Southeast Asia.
