The Central–Western Economic Corridor ( Abrv: CWEC; ) is a

special economic zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

in Thailand that aims to promote economic development in the central and

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

regions of the country. It comprises four provinces: Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya,

Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...

Suphanburi Suphan Buri () is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand. It covers ''tambon'' Tha Philiang and parts of ''tambons'' Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Mueang Suphan Buri District. As of 2006 it had a population of 26,656. The tow ...

, and

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi (, ) is a town municipality ('' thesaban mueang'') in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The town of lies to the southeast of Erawan National Park within Kanchanaburi Province, approximately 120km west of Bangkok. In 2006 it had a po ...

. The corridor is focused on developing the agro-tourism industry, high-value hi-tech industry, as well as green and

heritage tourism Heritage tourism is a branch of tourism centered around the exploration and appreciation of a region's cultural, historical and environmental heritage. This form of tourism includes both tangible elements, such as historically significant sites, ...

. The CWEC is strategically designed to connect both to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

and the

Eastern Economic Corridor The Eastern Economic Corridor ( Abrv: EEC; , , ) officially the Eastern Special Development Zone (ESDZ), is a special economic zone of three provinces in eastern Thailand. Collectively, these provinces occupy an area of , and in 2016 had an estima ...

(EEC), as well as to the Dawei port in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, making it an important hub for transportation and trade.

History

The National Committee for the Development of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) approved the Central-Western Economic Corridor (CWEC) as a special economic zone in May 2022, along with three other corridors. The CWEC covers the provinces of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya,

, and

, and is designed to serve as a manufacturing base for agriculture, tourism, and high technology. On September 20, 2022, the cabinet acknowledged and approved the committee's proposals, which authorized the Finance Ministry's permanent secretary to chair a subcommittee to establish non-tax and tax investment incentives, one-stop services, infrastructure, and facilities to attract investors.

Economic

The region is known for its diverse agricultural production, including

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, and

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

, and is also a hub for

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

exports. The extensive

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

system in the region allows for the production of advanced processed agricultural products and

bio-product Bioproducts or bio-based products are Raw material, materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological material. Bioresources Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically derived waste, and there are many oth ...

s, which creates opportunities for processing

's resources. The CWEC is also a production base for the

automotive parts This is a list of auto parts, which are manufactured components of automobiles. This list reflects both fossil-fueled cars (using internal combustion engines) and electric vehicles; the list is not exhaustive. Many of these parts are also used o ...

and electronics industries, which are connected to the

(EEC) area. The corridor also has a thriving tourism industry that offers visitors the chance to explore

world heritage sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

, natural attractions, and engage in various forms of adventure tourism.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central-Western Economic Corridor Special economic zones of Thailand Proposed special economic zones

History

Economic

See also

References