Special Economic Zones and Economic Corridors

Various reports show that special economic zones (SEZ) have become a prime catalyst for regional development in developing countries such as China and the ASEAN countries. The SEZ can be defined as a specific geographical region with economic laws that are more liberal than a country's typical economic laws. Many SEZs have characteristics of bonded zones, export processing zone (EPZ) or free trade zones and provide special incentives, including tax exemption or reduction to investors. The purpose of the paper is to enumerate the candidates for SEZ in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV countries) according to four types: "metropolitan areas," "ports and harbors," "border areas" and "junctions or intersections." The first two types are based on the experience of forerunning ASEAN countries and the latter two are based on the economic corridors of the Greater Mekong Sub region Economic Cooperation Program. The paper concludes by identifying locations for the questionnaire and flowchart approach-based surveys, and presenting country-specific strategies.ASEAN, SEZ, Port, Harbor, Junction, Economic Corridor, CLMV, GMS.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of GMS Economic Corridors: Why is There More Focus on the Bangkok-Hanoi Road than the East-West Corridor?

Since the inauguration of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program in 1992, road infrastructure projects have played a very important role. Their economic significance, especially, has become a focal point after the introduction of the concept of the three economic corridors in 1998: the East-West Economic Corridor; the North-South Economic Corridor; and the Southern Economic Corridor (Figure 1). The completion of the Second International Mekong Bridge between Mukdahan, Thailand and Savannakhet, Laos was an epoch-making event in the development of the East-West Economic Corridor. The business community, however, has paid more attention to the Bangkok-Hanoi Road than the East-West Economic Corridor. This study examines the reasons why the former has received more focus than the latter, by using criteria such as population density and the economic scale at a provincial or state level. Thereafter, the effectiveness of other economic corridors is examined, by applying the same criteria

Cargo transportation cost in Vietnam

This paper analyzes the cargo transportation costs as well as associated time required for transport in both domestic and international sections of the country. Results are based on questionnaire and interview surveys with 19 freight forwarders. Respondents answered that the cost and time required for cargo transportation vary according to mode of transportation, by container or truck type, and whether it is oneway or a round trip. The number of cargo transportation cost samples included in the analysis was 268 and that of the time required for transportation was 125. This paper also analyzes the relationship of the cargo transportation cost with income level of the origin and destination, the effects of different modes of transport of the whole dataset as well as of the coastal section of the country between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the effects by country, and the relationship of the time required for transportation by mode of transportation. Together the analyses showed that cross-border transportation costs, especially with Cambodia and Laos, were very much higher; it also showed that the transportation cost of using a 40-foot container is the same as for road transport, but it differs for sea transport. These findings are all verified by econometric analysis

Effectiveness and Challenges of Three Economic Corridors of the Greater Mekong Sub-region

Since the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) program began in 1992, activities have expanded and flourished. The three economic corridors are composed of the East-West, North-South, and Southern; these are the most important parts of the flagship program. This article presents an evaluation of these economic corridors and their challenges in accordance with the regional distribution of population and income, population pyramids of member countries, and trade relations of member economies

Mating rhythms of Drosophila: rescue of tim(01 )mutants by D. ananassae timeless

BACKGROUND: It is reported that the circadian rhythms of female mating activity differ among Drosophila species and are controlled by an endogenous circadian clock. Here, we found that the mating rhythm of D. ananassae differed from that of D. melanogaster. Moreover, to evaluate the effect of clock gene products on mating activities, we examined the mating activity of D. melanogaster timeless (tim(01)) transgenic fly harboring heat-shock promotor driven-D. ananassae timeless (tim) gene (hs-AT tim(01)). METHODS: Flies were maintained under light/dark (LD) cycles for several days and then they were transferred to constant dark (DD) conditions at 25°C. Transformant flies were heat-shocked for 30 min (PZT 10.5–11.0 or PZT 22.5–23.0; PZT means Projected Zeitgeber Time) at 37°C every day. Daily expressions of D. ananassae TIMELESS (TIM) protein in transgenic flies were measured by western blotting. To examine whether the timing of D. ananassae TIM protein induction by heat shock can change the patterns of the behavior activities of D. melanogaster tim(01 )flies, we measured locomotor and mating activity rhythms under DD at 25°C ± 0.5°C except when heat shock was applied. RESULTS: Heat shock applied at PZT 10.5–11.0 and at PZT 22.5–23.0 induced high TIM levels during subjective night and day, respectively, in hs-AT tim(01 )flies. The locomotor rhythm of these flies was changed from diurnal to nocturnal by the timing of D. ananassae TIM induction. However, the mating rhythm of these flies could not be entrained by the timing of D. ananassae TIM induction. CONCLUSION: The pattern of mating activity rhythms of D. ananassae and of D. melanogaster differed. The mating activity rhythms of D. melanogaster tim(01 )flies harboring hs-AT tim appeared after heat-shock but the pattern and phase differed from those of wild-type D. ananassae and D. melanogaster. Moreover, the mating rhythm of these flies could not be entrained by the timing of D. ananassae TIM induction although the locomotor rhythm of hs-AT tim(01 )was changed from diurnal to nocturnal according to the timing of D. ananassae TIM induction. These data suggest that species-specific mating activities require output pathways different from those responsible for locomotor rhythms

Survey on logistics cost in Vietnam

This paper analyzes transportation time and costs for domestic and international cargo in Vietnam by using a questionnaire and interview survey of 19 freight forwarders. The cargo route between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City is one of the primary logistics pathways in Vietnam, with logistics costs from Ho Chi Minh City to Ha Noi being higher than that in the opposite direction. For freight forwarders in Vietnam, there are four options: road, railway, ship, and air. In this paper, we compare the transportation time and costs for each mode of transport. For international logistics, cross-border costs such as customs clearance fees are still higher, but the time required for cross-border procedures has shown improvements at borders between Vietnam and Laos. Our survey results also show that the price difference for transporting a 20-foot container versus a 40-foot container by ship is significant, whereas the costs are not different for road transport