Review of Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program

It is the history of the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, or G-M-S.

The Mekong River -- its up reaches in China is called Lancang River -- originates from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in western China, and flows into the sea in southern Vietnam. At about 4,900 kilometers long, it's the sixth longest river in the world.

The river connects Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and forms the Greater Mekong Sub-region. About 250 million people live along the river, which is vital to their livelihoods.

In the late 1950s, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam established a joint committee to develop the Greater Mekong Sub-region. But the process stalled due to the region's unstable political situation.

In 1992, backed by the Asian Development Bank, and joined by China and Thailand, the six countries launched the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, or G-M-S program.

Since the program was established, the six countries have held ministerial-level meetings in various fields, and reached agreements concerning transportation, tourism, resources and other related issues, worth about 3.5 billion US dollars.

Analysts say the huge region's potential will be further realized by increasing cooperation.

In 2002, the first Greater Mekong leader summit was held in Cambodia. Member countries decided to hold the meeting every three years.

The summit is the highest-level meeting within the cooperation. It will outline the future development of the G-M-S program.

In 2005, the summit was held in China. It was titled " A Stronger Partnership For Prosperity", and its aim was to foster closer links among the six countries.

The theme of this year's summit in Laos is "Enhancing Competitiveness Through Greater Connectivity". The aim is to sustain and deepen economic cooperation and integration among G-M-S countries.