The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) comprises six countries: Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China (specifically Yunnan Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The program of subregional economic cooperation was launched in 1992 with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aimed at strengthening economic ties and fostering regional integration. The program emphasizes on a “3 Cs” strategy: Connectivity – Promoting sustainable development of physical infrastructure and transforming transport corridors into transnational economic corridors; Competitiveness – Enhancing cross-border movement of people and goods through improved facilitation, while integrating markets, production processes, and value chains; and Community – Strengthening regional solidarity through initiatives that address common social and environmental challenges.
The program’s secretariat is housed within the ADB headquarters in Manila. It coordinates activities such as planning summits, monitoring projects, facilitating collaboration between member countries, and addressing implementation challenges. The GMS website provides up-to-date information, including comprehensive project lists with data on financing, geographic scope, scale, and relevance.
The economic corridors are a central feature of the GMS initiative. These are areas generally aligned with major transport routes that foster clusters of economic and social activity. The three primary corridors are: North–South Economic Corridor (NSEC), East–West Economic Corridor (EWEC), and Southern Economic Corridor (SEC). Plans are underway to expand these corridors and strengthen connectivity between the capital cities of GMS countries.