Vietnam holds int'l meeting on Mekong sub-regional cooperation

http://www.chinaview.cn/

2009-11-30

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

HANOI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The development cooperation forum Mekong 2009 opened here Monday, focusing on strengthening sub-regional cooperation to navigate out of impacts of the global economic crisis and to intensify trade and investment promotion.

The conference, themed in overcoming crisis, towards a greater and dynamic Mekong sub-region, is part of the development cooperation forum and the international exhibition on trade and investment Mekong 2009.

The forum is organized by the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Economic Development Association in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies of five countries in the Mekong sub-region namely Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Speaking at the conference, Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc said that Vietnam committed to participate and intensify cooperation with other four countries in the Mekong sub-region to overcome impacts of the global economic downturn, fostering the rapid and sustainable development of the sub-regional economy.

Discussions at the conference focused on the Greater Mekong sub-region (GMS) cooperation, role of Japan in the GMS cooperation, impacts of the global economic crisis and responses of countries in the GMS, trade promotion and investment environment in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and experiences and challenges shared by businesses of countries in the GMS.

Participants at the conference agreed that there have been significant fruitful results achieved in the cooperation among countries in the GMS partially thanks to financial assistance of supporters inside and outside the GMS.

The conference called on more investment from foreign agents to implement the ongoing projects which have been halted due to impacts of the global economic downturn.

Sakaba Mitsuo, the Japanese ambassador to Vietnam said at the conference that Japan always attaches great importance to cooperation with the Mekong sub-region. Japan will provide about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars in the official development assistance to countries in the sub-region in the next three years.

Up till now, the Asian Development Bank has funded 41 GMS projects worth 11 billion U.S. dollars and other 179 technical assistance projects valued at 208 million U.S. dollars.

The conference defined areas of future cooperation including raising living standards of people living in the GMS, enhancing the use of water and land resources, tapping potential of hydropower to meet the growing demand in the sub-region and improving fish breeding.

Other cooperation fields are the development of the free water transportation among countries in the sub-region, reduction of negative impacts on economies and people's life caused by natural disaster and intensifying environment protection and ecosystem balance.

The second international conference, themed in orientating to a dynamic Mekong investment sub-region, will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 10.

Editor: Yan