Relationship dossier
Laos
Myanmar
Relationship assessment
Practical border links and regional diplomacy underpin Laos–Myanmar relations.
Laos toward Myanmar
+35Laos has facilitated Myanmar’s participation in regional diplomacy, including during Laos’s 2024 ASEAN chairmanship. The Lao–Myanmar Friendship Bridge also provides a concrete cross-border link.
Myanmar toward Laos
+30Myanmar has participated in regional diplomacy hosted by Laos, including an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in 2024. The cross-border friendship bridge is a durable practical connection between the two countries.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship combines a durable cross-border connection with cooperation in regional diplomacy. Available examples suggest practical engagement, but the breadth of bilateral programs and the depth of sustained cooperation remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Laos and Myanmar have maintained practical bilateral ties, including a cross-border friendship bridge and cooperation through regional diplomacy. Laos’s 2024 ASEAN chairmanship facilitated Myanmar’s participation in an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting. These examples indicate cooperation, though the scope and durability of broader bilateral programs are unclear.
Key developments
The Lao–Myanmar Friendship Bridge opened, creating a direct road connection across the Mekong between the two countries.
Myanmar participated in an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by Laos during Laos’s ASEAN chairmanship.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond border connectivity and regional diplomacy are unclear.
- Details of recent bilateral trade, security, and development cooperation are limited.