Delegates from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam gathered in Laos' capital of Vientiane on Monday to discuss topics and goals of the 2nd Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit to be held in China next year.

During the 2nd Task Force Meeting for the Preparation of the 2nd GMS Summit, the delegates touched upon overall ways of boosting the GMS's development via closer regional cooperation in major socio-economic fields, according to sources from Laos on Monday.

The 1st Task Force Meeting was held in Beijing, China, in late July 2004. The 2nd GMS Summit will take place in the Chinese city of Kunming in early July 2005.

Leaders of six countries sharing the Mekong River gathered in Cambodia for their first Summit on Nov. 3, 2002, mainly to promote further economic cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to sub-regional economic cooperation and a shared vision of equal partnership in the pursuit of economic growth and greater prosperity.

GMS countries, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have worked together for closer economic ties by speeding up the implementation of the GMS Economic Cooperation Program (GMS Program) since it was initiated by the Asian Development Bank in 1992.

Under the GMS Program, the six participating countries have prioritized over 100 projects in eight sectors, namely investment, trade, transport, tourism, telecommunications, energy, environment and human resource development, which have helped promote the sub-regional economic integration by increasing connectivity through infrastructure development and multilateral agreements.