The establishment of cross-border economic zones in the border areas of the People's Republic of China and its neighboring countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion has recently emerged as a strategy for further promoting trade and investments in the subregion. Unlike a border economic zone (BEZ), which is confined within the national territory, a CBEZ is an economic zone traversing a transnational area and requiring a unified set of policies and incentives in such areas as finance, taxation, investment, trade, and customs regulation.

Over the years, cross-border trade has expanded rapidly among countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Among the factors that contributed to this phenomenon is the application of a number of cross-border trade facilitation measures.

Border-gate economic zones (BEZs) are symbols of the increased cross-border exchange and the development initiative of the border areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Over the past decade, BEZs have been able to attract a great number of women workers seeking for new job opportunities.

This paper presents the variations and implications of contract farming arrangements in three case studies - cabbage, maize, and sugarcane - in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).