The People's Republic of China is shifting freight transport from roads to railways and waterways, and improving urban logistics systems to reduce carbon emissions.

NAY PYI TAW, MYANMAR (2 January 2019) — The Asian Development Bank signed an agreement on 21 December 2018 to provide a $10 million equity investment to Ascent Myanmar Growth Fund I LP, a Myanmar-focused private equity fund, to provide much-needed capital investment for the growth and expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the Southeast Asian country.

HA NOI, VIET NAM (12 December 2018) — The Asian Development Bank and Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), the country’s largest commercial bank by assets, today signed a $300 million loan agreement to support the growth and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Viet Nam.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (12 December 2018) — Senior officials of the Greater Mekong Subregion will convene this week at the 10th GMS Economic Corridors Forum (ECF-10) in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar to discuss ways to fast-track infrastructure development and boost growth along key economic corridors connecting the subregion. 

HA NOI, VIET NAM (12 December 2018) — The Asian Development Bank has approved a $188 million loan to improve and upgrade 198 kilometers of roads in Viet Nam’s mountainous northwest region, which has the highest poverty rate in the country.

A pilot project in the Greater Mekong Subregion explored the use of satellite technology to improve the collection of paddy rice statistics to support better policymaking. 

Germany and the European Union have renewed their support to strengthen transboundary water cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

HA NOI, VIET NAM (27 November 2018) — The Asian Development Bank has approved over $100 million in financing to help the Government of Viet Nam install eight modernized irrigation systems in five drought-affected provinces, which will improve agricultural productivity, especially among farmers growing high-value crops such as coffee, peppers, grapes, dragon fruits, and mangoes.

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, a community is creating new products without damaging the environment and empowering women in the process.

BANGKOK, THAILAND (9 November 2018) — The Asian Development Bank and Gulf SRC Company Limited have signed a $227.7 million loan agreement to help finance the construction and operation of a first-of-its-kind 2,500 megawatt combined cycle power plant in Chonburi Province of Thailand.

A project in Yunnan Province helped bring the People’s Republic of China closer to its neighbors and drive local development.

The Asian Development Bank has approved technical assistance for energy projects in Southeast Asia, including the Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Power Trade and Distribution Project.

In the Greater Mekong Subregion, countries have started to adopt laws and policies on geographical indications to protect locally sourced products that are made using traditional methods in their region of origin.

An Industrial Pollution Projection System has been used in the Greater Mekong Subregion to help countries identify current and future pollution risks.

SINGAPORE (23 October 2018) — Regional cooperation is increasingly necessary to tackle a rising number of cross-border challenges in Asia and the Pacific, including infrastructure gaps, trade connectivity, financial contagion, and climate and disaster-resilience, according to a new report from the Asian Development Bank.

A regional approach to food policy driven by business and public interests can better protect consumers and suppliers in both domestic and export markets, support scaling up of production, and facilitate market access and Greater Mekong Subregion product branding and marketing.

A reusable bamboo straw producer from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) beat 111 entrants from across Southeast Asia to take the top prize in the 2018 Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) challenge.