SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

6 - Macroeconomic trends in the Lower Mekong Basinupon agriculture, fisheries and foraging for their livelihoods. Agricultural production in each of thefour riparian countries is large enough overall to meet the consumption needs of the population.With the exception of the North and Northeast Regions of Thailand, industrial development in theLMB is very limited in scale and restricted in scope primarily to natural resource processing andagro-industrial activities. Only a small part of industrial activities in the LMB involve actualmanufacturing, and these are largely the garment factories.For the LMB as a whole, economic diversification, increased industrialisation and higher productivitywill be necessary if people are to obtain higher standards of living.2. Economic development and trendsThe countries in the LMB all see economic growth as necessary to overcome poverty. In order toaccelerate economic growth in the four countries, economic integration is being promoted alongwith a market economy and private sector development. Formal cooperation and economic integrationis being promoted in the LMB through international initiatives such as the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asian Development Bank’s Greater Mekong Sub RegionProgramme (GMS).Integration is supported by increased investment in physical infrastructure linking the countriestogether. As discussed in more detail in Chapter 14 on cooperation, in support of ADB’s GMSProgramme, ADB is loaning money to LMB countries to upgrade and build new roads and improvenavigation and airports in order to link major cities in the LMB with each other and with coastalports. These links will also include Myanmar and the rapidly industrialising province of Yunnan insouthern China. Along these major roads,which will run from north to south andeast to west and greatly improve themovement of people, raw materials andfinished products between countries,ADB/GMS is promoting thedevelopment of economic corridors.The East-West Economic Corridor,which includes Northeast Thailand,central Lao PDR and central Viet Nam,will centre on upgrades of Route 9 in LaoPDR. The proposed Southern EconomicCorridor will link Bangkok, Phnom Penh,Ho Chi Minh City and the port of VungTau.With loans from ADB, governments are building a networkof roads that will link major cities and ports in all sixMekong Basin countriesCountries are also developing cooperationinitiatives between themselves. The Thai-Cambodian Master Plan for the Border Area 2002-2012involves seven Thai and seven Cambodian provinces, with multiple border crossing points.93