Thailand has played a central role in the GMS cooperation in terms of promoting
trade and investment in private sectors as well as providing financial resources in the
implementation of the GMS cooperation program. At the same time, Thailand is an
original member of the ASEAN that was established in 1967. The cooperation
framework of the ASEAN is by far precedent to that of the GMS, as we can see that the
ASEAN agreed on the free trade area (AFTA) in 1992, and the original members already
enacted zero tariff rates on virtually all imports[2]. Thus, it would provide significant
implications on the development stage of the GMS cooperation, to compare
quantitatively the degree of trade integration of Thailand with the Mekong region,
with that of Thailand with the originally member ASEAN. In addition, it would also be
interesting to see if there is a change in the intensity of trade integration ofThailand with
such major trading partners as China, India, Japan, and the USA, amid the growing
presence of China and India in the global economy