outheast Asia.
Integrating with Southeast Asia is a key component of
China’s multi-pronged regionalisation around its borders
as its global rise continues.2
China’s regional assertion reinforces
a larger trend of new spatial configuration as an inherent
part of increasing globalisation driven by China. This
simultaneous globalisation and regionalisation unleashes
a dual process of de-bordering and re-bordering where the
traditional barrier role of borders is yielding more to that
of bridges.3
As a result, once small, marginal, and remote
border cities and towns have become larger and lively centers
of trade, tourism, and other flows. China’s effort to engage
Southeast Asia leaves many striking footprints within and
beyond the cities of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
facilitated Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which
was launched in 1992 and consists of China’s Yunnan
Province (with the later addition of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
and Vietnam.