The Government has identified key priority industries like cement and steel bars that are to be promoted under its Strategy on Industrialization and Modernization (2001-2020). Others like beer constitute end-user industries that have successfully name brandrecognition. The importance of those industries to the economy is significant in terms of output, employment and linkages to other downstream and/or upstream activities. Cement and beer each contribute 10 percent to the total value of industrial activity, and steel constitutes over 3 percent of the total. The three industries together employ 2,400 persons. Within the construction industry, cement and steel account for nearly one-third of value added, which itself represents a third of the country’s total industrial production. In promoting the industries, the Government must ensure compliance with WTO rules as part of its accession negotiations. To this end, the present study examines the implications of Lao PDR’s WTO accessions on the domestic cement, steel bar and brewery industries with a view to developing recommendations on how to concurrently manage the Government’s domestic strategic objectives with the country’s effective involvement in the global economy.

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