Sino-Thai Strategic Economic Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (1992-2003)

With globalization, the subregional economic zone has become the prominent trend in economic cooperation in Asia. In Mainland Southeast Asia, it is expected that the Greater Mekong Subregional Economic Zone (GMS) will play a significant role in subregional economic development in the future. However, over a decade since its inception, few GMS projects have been implemented. This article examines Thai and Chinese economic strategies towards the GMS framework and explores Sino-Thai strategic economic cooperation to better materialize the GMS programme. Furthermore, it is in line with the national development of the two countries. As a result, China and Thailand have pushed various GMS projects, in particular, the GMS's North-South Economic Corridor, encompassing China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, which will facilitate economic activities along the corridor and create economic linkages between the GMS countries.