To complement
the GMS, Thailand, which is located at the strategic intersection of the mainland of the South East Asian
region, initiated the Ayeyawady Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) in
2003 in order to bridge development gaps with bordering countries—Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar
and Vietnam (CLMV)—by promoting integrated cross-border development based on the border
economic zone (BEZ) concept (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand 2008).