VIENTIANE -- When a ChinaAid sign was recently erected in front of the Patuxai monument in Vientiane that honors those who fought for Laos' independence from France, the imagery was grating for many in the Southeast Asian country.
"For a Shared Future" reads the red text on the black stone tablet. The undertones of the message were hard to ignore for social media users in Laos at a time when the country is enduring a long-running economic crisis, and many fear the country's sovereignty is once again being eroded.
