On April 12, Radio Free Asia cited local government sources as confirming that Lao government orders to shut down environmentally destructive Chinese-owned banana farms, first reported in Bokeo province in January, are in fact also in force in six other provinces in the Southeast Asian state. New revelations of the China banana ban are yet another testament to the reality that Beijings economic influence is a mixed blessing for other Asian governments, and that has resulted in growing scrutiny about Chinese influence that can lead to policy change.