Trade promotion agencies of Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam held an event promoting cross-border trade connectivity between India and countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on 19 August. Representatives from each country gave briefings on their business environment and exchanged experiences in facilitating trade and investment cooperation. Noting challenges caused by COVID-19, they urged governments to take measures to help their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) move beyond national borders and expand markets.

In her address, Ms. Alka Nangia Arora, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India, remarked that amid the pandemic businesses must optimize technology to connect with each other because they are all part of international supply chains.

The technical assistance Supporting Internationalization of SMEs:Linking India and the GMS supports initiatives that promote trade and cross border investment by SMEs between India and countries in the GMS to integrate them into global value chains and enhance India-GMS connectivity.