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Laos formally became a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as a signing ceremony for the memorandum granting the Laos the status of a dialogue partner of the SCO was held in Beijing on Friday morning, according to CCTV News.
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 the CCTV News report.
Laos’ entry as a dialogue partner not only strengthens its cooperation with Eurasian countries but also creates deeper mutual understanding between Laos and SCO members, the Lao News Agency reported in September 2025.
It is expected to contribute significantly to Laos’ social and economic development, while highlighting the SCO’s unique character as a cooperation mechanism that is “open and inclusive, but not exclusive; comprehensive, but not closed,” according to the report.
During a meeting with Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane on the sidelines of SCO summit in September 2025, SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev expressed confidence in Vientiane's active involvement in promoting the SCO's multifaceted agenda, and informed about the SCO's current activities and priorities, according to the SCO’s website.
China has strongly supported Laos joining the SCO family. Prior to the admission of Laos as a dialogue partner at the Tianjin summit, during a meeting with Phomvihane in August 2025, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China welcomes Laos' joining the SCO family and looks forward to Laos contributing to the development of the SCO, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Thongsavanh thanked China for supporting Laos in becoming a dialogue partner of the SCO, and said that Laos is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, Xinhua reported at the time.
As a landlocked country in the heart of the Mekong sub-region, Laos serves as a bridge between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). With the China-Laos railway already becoming a vital link in the regional transportation network, the Southeast Asian country is well positioned to deepen connectivity with SCO member states, the Lao News Agency said.
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