The Dilemma And Future Of Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation

The Greater Mekong Sub-region is not only China’s peripheral diplomacy strategy fulcrum, but also an important foundation and a crucial construction direction of the Belt and Road (B&R). Since the establishment of the Great Mekong Sub-region Cooperation (GMS) in 1992, six sub-regional countries have carried out fruitful cooperation in the field of connectivity, and other key areas. In recent years, the world has been entering the period of the depth adjustment, the old international political and economic order have been occurring some new profound changes. As a result, GMS cooperation is facing new development opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, GMS which has been in existence for about 24 years is unable to satisfy the development of demand of the countries in the sub-region. The level of cooperation of GMS should be upgraded, and the cooperation areas need to be widened. On the other hand, China’s the Belt and Road (B&R), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Silk Road Fund have all brought new opportunities for the development of GMS. Especially, "Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation Mechanism" has been set up in November 2015, which will bring new impetus to the development of the greater Mekong sub-region.This paper firstly clarified and defined some basic concepts about sub-regional, sub-regional economic cooperation, and sub-regional cooperation. Then it analyzed some advanced theories about sub-regional cooperation. Furthermore, this dissertation introduced some cases as well as explored the possible significance and implications about the sub-regional cooperation.Secondly, the article systematically analyzes the current plight of GMS cooperation, holding that the insufficient economic cooperation motivation, the unbalance between the political security and economic development, the imbalance of public goods supply and the games among powers are the main predicaments of GMS cooperation.On the basis of the above discussions and analyses, this paper have looked forward to the prospects for the development of GMS cooperation in the new circumstances. It believed that infrastructure construction will provide new opportunities for sub-regional economic cooperation. Then, the enhancement of political and security cooperation will become the important consensus and contents of sub-regional cooperation in the future. Meanwhile, the mainspring of sub-regional cooperation will be more emphasis on unite among countries in this region.Finally, the conclusions are as follows. Due to China is the only the big power in Mekong Sub-region, it is necessary for China to take corresponding international responsibility and exert the leading role of in the process of regional cooperation in the greater Mekong sub-region. To begin with, China should enhance the level of economic cooperation with the Mekong countries. Secondly, China should promote the mutual political trust among the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries. Thirdly, China should strengthen the comprehensive security cooperation with the other five Mekong Sub-region countries. Finally, China should also improve the greater Mekong sub-region cooperation mechanisms. Overall, more public goods need be provided from China. Only in these way, can our country and the other five GMS countries can embrace the bright prospects of the Greater Mekong Sub-region.