TRANSITER SOUTHEAST ASIA, A FRANCO-ASIAN SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION PROGRAMME

The main goal of the Transiter Programme “Transnational Dynamics and Territorial Redefinitions in Southeast Asia: The Greater Mekong Subregion and Malacca Straits economic corridors”, is to better understand the role played by the economic corridors in the ongoing transition between the development of cross-border trade, towards a broader transnational integration process. This objective will be reached basing the research work on concrete examples, studied according to a multi-disciplinary approach of monitoring evaluation during a three-year period, in order to value and estimate the potentialities of these new dynamics, as well as anticipate on their potential negative impacts on the local populations and natural environments to be transected by the corridors. Although the primary focus of research is on Southeast Asia, the programme also analyses the conditions when possible to compare the transnational dynamics taking place along the Straits of Malacca's maritime corridors with the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) continental corridors. It also details and reviews the multi-disciplinary research available on this region and, in particular, on Lao PDR, which is a “key country” within the subregion and the main counterpart within this scientific cooperation programme.

VIEWS OF LAO COUNTERPART

Following the policy of the government in transforming Lao PDR from land-locked to land-linked status, there have been substantial investments in transport infrastructure. Such initiative is driven by development partners, mainly the Asian Development Bank (ADB), through the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) framework and bilateral cooperation between Laos and its neighbours. This gives birth to the economic corridor development concept, focusing on developing the transport infrastructure to connect Lao PDR with her giant neighbours, including the construction of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) and the North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC), and the promotion of economic opportunities along the corridors. Along with the improvement in the hardware, the government of Laos has gradually improved the trade and investment climate in the country with the objective of making it easier for the private sector to maximize the benefits from this increased connectivity and integration. Despite the massive investment in hardware, together with gradual reforms in trade and investment regulations, the expansion of trade and investment in the subregion and in Lao PDR in particular remains below expectations and the transport cost has not reflected this development.