People’s Republic of China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region)
Quick Facts
Population | 48 million (2017) |
GDP at PPP (current international dollars) | 466 billion (2017) |
GDP per capita at PPP (current international dollars) | 9,700 (2017) |
Population | 56 million (2017) |
GDP at PPP (current international dollars) | 575 billion (2017) |
GDP per capita at PPP (current international dollars) | 10,194 (2017) |
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The southern parts of the People’s Republic of China that are part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) are rich in agriculture. The Yunnan region produces rice, corn, barley, wheat, rapeseed, sweet potatoes, soybeans, tea and other crops, as well as livestock. Because the area is mountainous, Yunnan is also home to spectacular rice terraces. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is similarly blessed with a wide variety of agricultural products, including oranges, rice, beans, corn, cassava, cinnamon, bananas, vegetables, durian, pineapples, and tea, as well as livestock. Both areas trade products and expertise with their GMS neighbors.
The PRC has established itself as a leader in the development of renewable energy, and the GMS member areas of Yunnan and Guangxi are no exception. Hydropower, wind and solar projects operate in the areas. The two regions also benefit from the rural electrification programs of the national Government, and share renewable energy expertise with their GMS partners.
Yunnan and Guangxi are rich ecological areas with much to contribute to the GMS environment sector. Guangxi is mountainous, with a diverse range of plant life. More than a third of Yunnan is forested, twice the average of other regions in the PRC. Yunnan has more species of tropical, subtropical, temperate, and frigid-zone plants than anywhere else in the country. Both areas are seeking sustainable management of their environments in coordination with their GMS partners.
The Chinese regions of the GMS have been active participants in human resource development. Yunnan and Guangxi have conducted cross-border health cooperation programs, and short-term training courses in numerous fields. Government scholarships have also been offered to GMS students, and a great number of educational exchanges have been held. Yunnan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region also cooperate with their GMS partners on migration issues, the protection of women and indigenous groups, and youth development.
Yunnan and Guangxi have in recent years upgraded their telecommunication connections with Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. Work is also underway to expand Internet links to Thailand.
The two Chinese regions of GMS are home to a vast array of popular tourism sites, not only for domestic tourism, but also for visitors from surrounding GMS countries. Guangxi, for example, is a top destination for visitors from Viet Nam. In Yunnan, tourism infrastructure is being developed with a focus on community participation. Both Guangxi and Yunnan are developing meeting and convention tourism that draws visitors from GMS countries.
Trade between neighboring GMS countries and the Yunnan and Guangxi regions of PRC has grown exponentially in the last ten years. Myanmar, Viet Nam and Thailand are top trading partners of Yunnan, and comprise a significant proportion of their trade. Yunnan and Guangxi have coordinated on enhancing cross-border trade with their GMS neighbors, and have acted as a gateway to greater trade with the PRC.
In the area of transport, Yunnan and Guangxi have played an important role in the development of road networks, and economic corridors, that bind the Greater Mekong Subregion together. This includes the Yunnan Expressway (Chuxiang–Dali), and the Southern and Western Yunnan roads. The expansion of rail services has also been a key aspect of Yunnan and Guangxi’s contribution to transport in the subregion. The Singapore-Kunming rail project is another important link in the GMS transport system.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (24 March 2014) – The People’s Republic of China will expand biodiversity corridors to link 10 nature reserves in the southwestern corner of the country – including critical habitat for the Cao Vit gibbon, one of the rarest apes in the world – following workshops conducted as part of the Greater Mekong Subregion’s Core Environment Program.
KUNMING, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (22 March 2014) – Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao met with Yunnan Governor Li Jiheng and discussed the province's development challenges and potential during a three-day visit to the People’s Republic of China.
The Yunnan Integrated Roads Network Development Project is helping to build community-based women’s groups responsible for maintaining the condition of rural roads near their villages.
This GMS E-News is a quarterly publication to provide readers with an update on activities and major developments in pursuit of accelerated development of the countries sharing the Mekong River.
In this issue:
In the People's Republic of China, a four-lane expressway—half of it bridges and tunnels—through one of the most biodiverse regions in the world is facilitating trade and raising incomes for farmers.
This is the joint statement from the 18th GMS Ministerial Meeting in Nanning, People’s Republic of China in December 2012.
The is the summary of proceedings from the 9th Meeting of the Working Group on Agriculture of the Greater Mekong Subregion held in Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China on 4-6 July 2012.
The Special 12th RPTCC meeting (RPTCC-12-A) was held mainly to continue discussions on the inter-governmental MOU to establish the Regional Power Coordination Center (RPCC), which will oversee the evolution of the GMS power market toward a more open, but appropriately regulated competitive market.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (12 December 2012) - The next phase of Greater Mekong Subregion investments should expand the program into new areas such as multisector investments towards urban development, connecting remote areas with growth centers, and extending existing corridors into Myanmar, ministers attending the 18th GMS Ministerial Conference in Nanning, People's Republic of China said today in a joint statement.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (11 December 2012) - Ministers from the Greater Mekong Subregion will review progress on the Regional Investment Framework to boost implementation of the GMS Strategic Framework 2012-2022, as they meet today and tomorrow for the 18th GMS Ministerial Conference in Nanning, People's Republic of China.