GMS in the News

The Guangxi Li River Comprehensive Ecological Management and Demonstration Project will implement sustainable village preservation and low-carbon facilities. Photo by ADB.

ADB to Support Preservation of Guilin in PRC

 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $140 million loan to improve the environmental and economic conditions in Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China.

“Rapid urbanization has become a threat to Guilin's natural resources and sustainable development,” said ADB Senior Transport Specialist for East Asia Nicolas Dei Castelli. “This project will include a number of innovative solutions with demonstration potential, including low-carbon mobility, inclusive sanitation, and institutional development.”

Bavet Checkpoint: Moc Bai, Vietnam / Bavet, Cambodia on Route 1 to Phnom Penh. 2011 Gerhard Jörén/ADB.

GMS Member Countries Look Forward to Setting the ‘Early Harvest’ Implementation of the CBTA Back on Track

GMS member countries are looking forward to setting the ‘Early Harvest’ Implementation of the Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) back on track. This was emphasized by the GMS countries at the Subregional Transport Forum (STF-25) of the GMS Program held on 14 June 2022. 

The main road in Poipet, on the Thai border. The trip takes 2 hours to Siem Reap. Photo by Gerhard Jörén/ADB, 2011.

GMS Subregional Transport Forum Continues to Support the Improvement of Road Safety in the Subregion

The recently-concluded Subregional Transport Forum (STF-25) of the GMS Program highlighted the importance of behavioral interventions and stakeholders’ involvement to the reduction of road crashes and fatalities in the subregion. STF has been providing assistance in improving road safety for GMS countries since 2011. 

Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane via Xinhua

PRC-Lao PDR Railway Launches Freight Transit Yard to Boost Transshipment of Goods to Thailand

A freight transit yard where cargo is transferred for transshipment has been put into operation by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) Railway on 1 July 2022 at the Vientiane South Station.  The freight yard promises to boost the PRC-Lao PDR railway’s logistics, improving the link between the railways of PRC-Lao PDR and Thailand.  

The Friendship bridge built with Australian funding and completed and opened in 1994, crossing the Mekong River and connecting Thailand to Laos. Photo by Jim Holmes / AusAID via Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)

Fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge to Provide Shortest Route between Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam

The fifth friendship bridge between the Lao People‘s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand is set to further enhance Lao PDR’s connectivity with its neighbors in the Greater Mekong Subregion. It will link Borikhamxay province (Lao PDR) to Bueng Kan province (Thailand), becoming a vital road link between Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Spanning over 150km, it promises to be the shortest connecting link between the three countries and opens another regional trade and transit route. 

view all content