MENGDING County, Yunnan Province - The construction of the China-Myanmar border economic zone was launched in a border county in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Tuesday.

The Gengma (Mengding) Border Economic Cooperation Zone is in the city of Lincang's Mengding county, which is expected to become a traffic tip for an opening frontier and largely enhance the progress of resources development, trade, logistics, and industries, said Yang Hongbo, Party secretary of Lincang.

Mengding, located among Yunnan's ports to Myanmar, is expected to become a hub for trade and tourism in the future, Yang said.

Roads and an airport are going to be built in the remote county, Yang said.

The State Council, or China's Cabinet, will adopt a bundle of measures to build Yunnan province into a foothold for Southwest China's opening up drive and develop it into a gateway to regions in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

According to a document issued on its website in November, the State Council had approved more than 40 policy items covering nine aspects related to the area's development, including building up the economy and living standards, enhancing environmental protection, and strengthening infrastructure construction - especially in regard to transportation.

Yunnan, which is situated in Southwest China, lies adjacent to Sichuan province, Guizhou province, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Tibet autonomous region, and borders Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. It is famous for its abundant natural resources such as plants and non-ferrous metals.