Thailand and Regional Connectivity Development in the Mekong

Abstract

Thailand is confronting a transforming economic and political configuration in Southeast Asia. The economic, political, and security rivalry between the United States, China, and Japan in the region has triggered different approaches and styles of engagement among the major powers. Given the country’s location at the center of mainland Southeast Asia, Thailand’s geopolitical and geoeconomic relations with the major powers are important in shaping the regionalization process, which includes the development of physical connectivity (i.e., roads, railways, and bridges) and institutional connectivity (i.e., regulations, rules, and laws) and the institutionalization of regional organizations. The country is physically and institutionally situated at the locus of various regional initiatives that are supported by major powers, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program, the Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP), the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), and the Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). Through these and other means, the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea all have actively contributed to regional connectivity development through economic assistance and political support. At the same time, Thailand considers itself a leader in Southeast Asia as a result of its contributions to important regional initiatives such as ASEAN and the GMS Economic Cooperation Program