GMS should develop long-term vision for sustainable development

• GMS countries seek to boost open trade, multilateral trade system
• Vietnam actively takes part in GMS Economic Cooperation Programme
• CLV countries strengthen solidarity, cooperation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has made the suggestion at an international press conference in Hanoi on March 31 on the outcomes of the the sixth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS-6) Summit.

Phuc said the event has been successful with many key documents adopted such as the Joint Statement of the sixth GMS Summit, which affirmed the GMS countries’ political commitment and determination to enhance the role of the mechanism.

The Hanoi Action Plan for 2018-2022 defines major orientations and cooperation measures in the time to come while the Regional Investment Framework 2022 (RIF) gives a list of more than 220 projects worth US$66 billion, the Vietnamese government leader said.

The success of the GMS shows the aspiration and determination to build the Mekong region of peace, prosperity and sustainable development for the people, and realize its vision on the pillars of 3C: 'Connectivity, Competitiveness and Community', Phuc emphasized.

With the theme “Leveraging 25 years of cooperation, Building an integrated, sustainable and prosperous GMS”, the 6th GMS Summit received positive support of the GMS leaders and representatives from its key partners, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, and ASEAN.
The summit’s success is attributable to to the active participation of more than 3,000 business delegates from the GMS nations and partners, as well as nearly 400 international and Vietnamese reporters, he said.

At the press conference, ADB President Takehiko Nakao hailed Vietnam’s initiative on organising the GMS Business Summit, the first of its kind, which helped promote dialogues between enterprises and governments and connect businesses in the region and the world, while pooling resources from the private sector.

The GMS aims to mobilise US$66 billion over the next five years,  including at least US$7 billion provided by the ADB for the region. The rest will be mobilised from private sector. Therefore, the GMS Business Summit is very important for the GMS mechanism, he noted.

GMS was established in 1992 as an initiative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The GMS Programme is the most complete cooperation programme that involves Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and China’s Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. 

Priority fields encompass infrastructure development, energy, telecommunications, tourism, trade-investment, human resources, and the environment.