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The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce has officially launched a project aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to resolve disputes related to electronic commerce (e-commerce), in response to the sector’s rapid growth.
(KPL) The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce has officially launched a project aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to resolve disputes related to electronic commerce (e-commerce), in response to the sector’s rapid growth.
The initiative was formally introduced on May 13, with Mr. Santisouk Phounsavath, Director General of the Department of Domestic Trade, presiding over the ceremony. Attendees included representatives from the Australian Embassy to Laos and key economic and trade sectors.
The project, implemented from April 21 to August 30, 2025, is supported by AUD 172,000 in funding from Australia's Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative, under the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). The Department of Domestic Trade is leading the implementation, working closely with the Department of Business Competition and Trade Inspection, the Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Office, and other relevant agencies.
"E-commerce is growing rapidly and continuously on both a regional and global scale," Mr. Santisouk noted. In 2020, global e-commerce trade was valued at USD 4.25 trillion. By 2024, that figure had surged to USD 6.33 trillion—a 49% increase in four years.
Within ASEAN, e-commerce trade rose from USD 1.2 trillion in 2020 to USD 2.216 trillion in 2024, reflecting an 84.6% increase. The sector is now seen as a key driver of economic growth and poverty reduction worldwide.
In Laos, the government has integrated e-commerce into national development strategies. It is a focus of the second and third phases of the country’s industrial and trade development plans and supports the broader transition toward a digital economy.
KPL
