ADB vice president: trust, cooperation strong in Mekong subregion

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 19, 2003

ADB vice president: trust, cooperation strong in Mekong subregion

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The six countries along the Mekong River have enhanced their mutual trust and cooperation to an ever stronger level since the first leaders meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) economic cooperation program last year, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Jin Liqun said Thursday in Dali.

He said the GMS, consisting of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, share a common vision of subregional cooperation. The six countries are located along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. Under the initiative of the ADB, they jointly launched a subregional program in 1992 in a bid to forge closer trade and economic ties.

In an interview with Xinhua on Thursday, Jin said the GMS ministerial meeting to be held in Dali in south China's Yunnan Province on Friday would discuss steps to implement the strategic priorities of subregional cooperation, as set by the leaders of the six countries in a meeting in Phnom Penh last year.

He said involving the private sector in the GMS program would be a ground-breaking point that the ministers would make at the meeting in Dali.

Since the development of the GMS requires huge financial resources, it is necessary to let the private sector take part in this process as soon as possible, according to Jin. He estimated that the development of infrastructure in the subregion would require total funds of 15 billion to 20 billion US dollars, addingthat financing had become a major factor restraining development in the region.

Under ADB sponsorship, the ministers from the six countries held a meeting with development partners and representatives from the private sector in Dali on Thursday. Jin said the participationof the private sector was a new function that the ministerial meeting adopted.

Jin said in the next phase, the ADB would help the GMS countries to further expand cooperation in infrastructure development. The aim is to link the subregion more closely with a land bridge consisting of roads and railway.

According to Jin, Myanmar will join the cross-border movement agreement on the ministerial meeting, putting a final block on a regional arrangement of an easier flow of goods, service and personnel. He said this was an encouraging sign of the GMS programmaking concrete progress.

Jin said the ADB had already developed a complete set of plans on the development, utilization and protection of the Mekong River.The plans involve proposals for the countries to gradually expand cooperation in such fields as telecommunications, energy and waterresources.

He emphasized the importance of human resources development in the subregional cooperation. A well-established and efficient public service sector was crucial for the success of regional cooperation.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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