Third GMS Summit opens to chart future course for region

VIENTIANE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The third summit meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) opened here on Monday during which the prime ministers will discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.

The theme of the Third GMS Summit is "Enhancing Competitiveness through Greater Connectivity".

Leaders of the six countries sharing the Mekong River -- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam will discuss coordinated actions to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development in the region through expanded transportation and telecommunication linkages, streamlined trade agreements, and greater environmental management efforts.

In his opening speech, Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh asked the GMS leaders to consider the endorsement of the GMS Plan of Action for the period 2008-2012.

He called on GMS nations to make more efforts in infrastructure development so as to enhance competitiveness of the subregion.

He asked GMS countries to focus on the construction and rehabilitation of the remaining sections of GMS corridors while expanding the corridor network through multimodal linkages.

On energy, the Lao prime minister urged more efforts to enhance the Interaction Connectivity Map in building new power generation and transmission facilities while encouraging energy purchase with competitive prices.

He called on GMS countries to join hands in improving the infrastructure connectivity by establishing a mechanism and regulations that will facilitate goods and public transport among the countries.

The preservation of environment and natural resources will remain as one of the key components of the GMS Plan of Action, he said.

The leaders are being joined by Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda. ADB has been the lead supporter of the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program since 1992.

The leaders will also review progress in 15-year cooperation. Since its inception in 1992, the GMS has developed into one of the fastest growing regions of the world, with an average gross domestic product of over 6 percent in recent years.

The GMS program focuses on nine development areas: agriculture, energy, the environment, human resource development, private investment, telecommunications, tourism, trade and transportation.

The leaders held a flurry of bilateral meetings on Sunday and also met with youth and business representatives from the six countries.

The First GMS Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2002, while the Second GMS Summit was held in Kunming, China in July 2005.