Al Jazeera looks back at the most devastating period in Laos’s history, when the US waged a years-long ‘Secret War’.

A meeting of defense leaders in Laos took place on Thursday, and included Southeast Asian defense chiefs, China, the United States and other partner nations. Despite China and the US both being in Laos for the meeting,

Chinese and Philippine vessels have clashed repeatedly this year, and Vietnam in October charged that Chinese forces assaulted its fishermen in disputed areas in the South China Sea. China has also sent patrol vessels to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones.