CROOS-BORDER PRODUCTION OF WATERMELON IN NORTHWEST LAOS

China's rapid growth and rise as global superpower has had significant influence on the Mekong region, including Laos. In particular, the provinces of northwest Laos have a close relationship with China's Yunnan Province through trade and invenstment. This study focuses on the watermelon business, which has become one of the main cash crops of Muang Sing a small town on the Lao-China border. This study examines the relationship between China and Laos from the Lao perspective examining how people live and the role of the border in an era which is increasingly globalized and borderless