Deputy Minister of Finance Mrs Phetsamone Sone (second from right) co-chairs the GMS forum in Vientiane on Monday.   --Photo Vientiane Mai

GMS forum pushes economic corridors from planning to implementation

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is stepping up efforts to turn economic corridor plans into practical projects that strengthen regional connectivity, trade and inclusive growth amid global challenges.
The 14th GMS Economic Corridors Forum is taking place in Vientiane on September 14-15, bringing together senior officials and representatives from the six GMS members – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – along with development partners, international organisations and private sector representatives.
The forum, hosted by the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Lao government in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the GMS Secretariat, aims to accelerate economic corridor development and make the region more resilient.
This will be achieved through wider participation and economic cooperation among GMS members, development partners, international financial institutions, local governments, the private sector and other stakeholders.
Opening the meeting, Deputy Minister of Finance Mrs Phetsamone Sone stressed the importance of developing GMS economic corridors in line with Laos’ vision to become a land-linked nation through stronger infrastructure links with the region and the wider world.
She highlighted the need to integrate infrastructure development with trade and transport, special economic zones, local development, human capital, and modernisation.
Economic corridor development should move beyond frameworks and into implementation, building on the experience of other GMS countries to identfy practical and resultsoriented programmes for inclusion in the 2027-2029 GMS Investment Framework, she said.
These programmes should generate economic benefits, strengthen environmental sustainability, meet financing needs and deliver greater cross-border benefits, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The forum discussed four key areas aimed at making GMS economic corridors more integrated, competitive, inclusive and resilient.
The first focused on accelerating economic corridor development from frameworks to implementation, with participants discussing ways to translate regional plans into practical investments and programmes that can deliver tangible benefits.
The second area was labour mobility along GMS economic corridors, high-lighting the need to ensure that workers benefit from growing economic opportunities while supporting the development of interconnected regional labour markets.
The third centred on local governments and special economic zones as mechanisms for corridor development. Discussions explored how local authorities and economic zones can play a stronger role in attracting investment, supporting businesses, and ensuring that corridor development benefits local economies.
The fourth focused on innovation and modernisation for stable and inclusive growth, with participants discussing how innovation can strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of economic corridors.
The forum was cochaired by the Director General of the Department of International Finance and Cooperation at the Ministry of Finance, Mr Vongkhamheng Vongthachack, and ADB Southeast Asia Department Director General, Nianshan Zhang.
ADB Country Director for Laos, Shanny Campbell, also addressed the forum.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 15, 2026)