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Mekong River Countries Vow to Increase Competitiveness, Connectivity, and Sense of Community

DALI, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (19 September 2003) - In a bid to maximize the benefits of regional integration and globalization, ministers of the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries today vowed to strive harder to strengthen competitiveness and connectivity, and enhance their sense of community.

In a drive to attract private sector participation in the GMS economic cooperation program, the ministers held their first meeting with representatives from the private sector at the 12th GMS Ministerial Conference that ended here today.

"The ministers recognized that closer collaboration will be crucial to meet the challenges and reap the benefits of increasing regional integration and globalization," says the Joint Ministerial Statement.

The meeting underscored the importance of speeding up priority GMS projects, including transborder road projects.

The countries - Cambodia, PRC (Yunnan Province), Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam - are already reinforcing links through roads, telecommunications networks and the promotion of power trade.

The GMS program, assisted by ADB since its inception in 1992, aims to create a better integrated, more prosperous, and equitable region. ADB and its partners have financed 15 major infrastructure projects, representing investments totaling over US$2 billion.

All mainland Southeast Asian countries would be landlinked by 2007 when all subregional infrastructure initiatives in Mekong countries are expected to be completed.

ADB Vice President Liqun Jin told the meeting; "The GMS should be prepared to eventually form a fully integrated market as it emerges in Asia and integrates itself into the global development process. So long as we work diligently to achieve connectivity and competitiveness, the region will be very well placed to play its part in an economic community under a broader framework."

A major step towards further opening up the borders in the GMS was taken as Myanmar joined the other five countries to reduce nonphysical barriers to the free movement of goods and people across international borders. At the end of the meeting, Myanmar signed the Cross-border Transport Agreement. All six countries have now signed the Agreement.

The ministers noted that developing increased competitiveness requires the GMS to focus on improved infrastructure network, human resource development, and trade facilitation alongside good governance and environmental management.

The ministers welcomed the commencement of the Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management. They saw it as crucial for building high quality capacity in the GMS.

Other major outcomes of the meeting are as follows:

• The ministers agreed that the GMS Program is well on its way to achieve physical connectivity through a network of road corridors and agreed to explore other air and water transport linkages.
• They acknowledged the important role of cooperation in agriculture in reducing poverty through partnerships with rural communities to promote agriculture trade, food security, and sustainable livelihoods.
• They reaffirmed the importance of promoting the subregion as a single tourist destination and to work towards the possible establishment of a "GMS visa."
• They warmly welcomed Lao PDR's offer to host the 13th GMS ministerial meeting in 2004 and to PRC's offer to host the second GMS Summit of Leaders of Governments in 2005.

More at adb.org/media

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