BOTEN, Laos -- As China's economic influence spreads through Southeast Asia, various changes have come to the economies of border towns near China. With Chinese investment flourishing, such as road and building construction, these areas are becoming reliant on the influx of yuan spending. Tetsuya Iguchi, Nikkei's Editor-in-Chief for Editorial Headquarters for Asia, reports from the Laos-China border town of Boten, where the shutting of a casino has changed the entire economy.
