GMS Contents

Photo shows the participants of this year's regional training program together with the training team. Photo credit: ADB.

Honing Project Management Skills to Achieve Development Goals

Thirty-nine government officials and specialists joined this year’s Regional Training in Project Management organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Bangkok from 5 to 9 May. The training program is designed to support the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in project planning and implementation. It fosters a results-based project management approach that aligns projects to sector strategies.

Construction of High Speed Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong Railway to Begin

Viet Nam is set to begin construction of a new 417-kilometer railway line connecting the northern port city of Haiphong to Kunming, People’s Republic of China (PRC), via Hanoi and Lao Cai Province. The initiative, with an estimated investment of about US$11 billion, aims to bolster trade and tourism between the two countries by enhancing connectivity and facilitating smoother transportation of goods and people.

Fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Approaches Full Completion and Opening

The fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge spanning the Mekong River, connecting Borikhamxay province in Lao PDR with Bueng Kan province in Thailand, is now 96% complete. Its official opening is being planned for May 2025, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The new bridge will facilitate easier travel and trade between the two countries, as well as strengthen connections within the Greater Mekong Subregion, particularly benefiting businesses engaged in trade between Thailand and Viet Nam.

26th Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum (STF-26)

The Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Subregional Transport Forum (STF-26) was held on 26 and 27 of September 2024 as an in-person meeting in Beijing, People’s Republic of China. The Forum, with the theme “Strengthening Supply Chains and Logistics by Enhancing the Collaboration with Private Sector in Promoting a Sustainable GMS Transport System”, was organized by the Research Institute of Highway, under the Ministry of Transport of PRC), with support and attendance of the GMS Secretariat.


Fifth Lao-Thai Mekong Friendship Bridge Completion

The construction of the fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, an infrastructure project connecting the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand, is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2024. This bridge spans the Mekong River, linking Bolikhamxay province in Lao PDR with Bueng Kan province in Thailand. The project is a testament to the ongoing cooperation between the two nations and is expected to enhance travel and trade within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

Assessing the Impact of Infrastructure Investments Using Customs Data: The Case of the Greater Mekong Subregion Corridor and the People’s Republic of China

This paper presents new evidence of the effects of road construction on both domestic and international trade flows in the People’s Republic of China using customs data and information on transport investments in the region.


Pages

view all content