Laos Foreign Minister Ousted

On November 18, Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith was dismissed from his position as Foreign Minister. The reshuffle was announced during the 8th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly held from 8 to 11 November. Saleumxay has been replaced by Deputy Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, a member of the 11th Central Committee and former head of the Communist Party’s Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations. 

This position change is particularly significant given Saleumxay’s previous and recent track records: his nine-year tenure as Foreign Minister, his promotion to Deputy Prime Minister in 2022, and his reputation as a strong contender for the future Prime Minister position. This reshuffle takes place less than two years before the National Congress in January 2026, where the next Prime Minister is set to be selected. This timing raises questions among observers about internal political maneuvering within the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and its implications for the country’s future leadership trajectory. 

Saleumxay was widely recognized for his successful management of the ASEAN Summit chaired by Laos this year. Under his leadership, Laos pursued a relatively outgoing foreign policy, and despite being closer to China, the country still managed to keep good ties with the West and secured development aids and economic cooperations from the United States, South Korea, and Japan. One notable achievement includes the country’s ongoing plan to have “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Japan by 2025.  

The appointment of Thongsavanh Phomvihane, however, suggests a potential recalibration of Laos’ foreign policy priorities. Thongsavanh’s background—including his role as Political Counsellor on China-Laos relations and Deputy Head of Mission at the Lao Embassy to China from 1990 to 2002 — and his previous public support for China’s development models and its new party-to-party relations framework, may signal a shift toward further deepening Laos’ alignment with China.