Hanoi (VNA) – The sixth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit tookplace in Hanoi on March 31, with the participation of leaders of the regionalcountries and representatives from ASEAN, the Asian Development Bank and theWorld Bank.

Themed “Leveraging on 25 years of Cooperation, and Building a Sustainable,Integrated, and Prosperous GMS”, the summit reviewed the 25-year path of GMS cooperation,and discussed opportunities and challenges the subregion is facing as well asmajor orientations for GMS cooperation in the coming time.

In his speech, Prime Minister ofhost Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during one fourth of the past century, GMScooperation has ceaselessly expanded in both depth and width, affirming its ownidentity as a prestigious regional cooperation mechanism with the 3C strategy“Connectivity, Competitiveness and Community”.

Hundreds of projects with a total capital of over 21 billion USD have beenimplemented in various fields from transport, energy and telecommunication totrade, agriculture and environment, he said, adding that there are also manyoverall collaboration strategies with long-term vision such as the East-WestEconomic Corridor (EWEC) and the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC).

Ever being a region of poor, underdeveloped and isolated countries in the lastcentury, the GMS is now proud of housing the fastest growing economies in theworld which are in active integration and have broad and busy markets with anincreasingly developing middle class.

“The success of the GMS provesthe aspiration and determination to build the Mekong region of peace,prosperity and sustainable development for the people, he stressed.

He expressed his thanks to theAsian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and development partners for theirvaluable and effective support for the Mekong region in general and Vietnam inparticular.

According to the Vietnameseleader, over the past 25 years, Vietnam has always actively engaged in GMScooperation and efforts to trade and investment facilitation, environmentalprotection, natural resources, and climate change adaptation. Many worksconnecting Vietnam and other GMS nations have proven effective, including theEWEC, roads and bridges connecting the Mekong Delta region, the SEC and the NoiBai – Lao Cai – Yunnan expressway.

“We will continue working to make the GMS operation more effective, thusfurther promoting the potential of the Mekong region,” he affirmed.

The PM spoke highly of the building of the Hanoi Action Plan for 2018-2020 andthe Regional Investment Framework 2022 (RIF-22) with a total of over 220 investmentand technical support programmes and projects worth about 66 billion USD.

He suggested the building of the GMS Cooperation Vision by 2030 with the maintasks of improving competitiveness, supporting GMS countries in engaging more deeplyand effectively in global value chain, and increasing coordination in respondingto the region’s common challenges, especially climate change and environmentalprotection.

He also underlined the key cooperation areas among the GMS nations, withthe first priority given to infrastructure development and boosting regionalconnectivity to ensure smooth connection within the region and between theregion and outsiders.

Focus will be put on building green, high-quality, and smart infrastructure byusing advanced and environmentally-friendly technology, in tandem with ensuringsocio-environmental aspects and sustainable financing, PM Phuc said.

Connection at local level will be strengthened in terms of roads, railways,aviation, maritime, and waterways to maximise the efficiency of the GMS’seconomic corridors in the new stage.
 
The GMS nations will also forge ahead with regional connectivity in information– telecommunication and energy to use natural resources and manage productionmore effectively, he said.

They will also boost reciprocal support in trade and investment, thus betterconnecting regional investors, production and business facilities to reduceregional competition and increase the regional competitiveness, particularly inagro-forestry-fisheries products, he added.

GMS countries mustfocus on improving the quality of human resources and take it as a top priorityin the context of the fourth industrial revolution.

The improved quality of labourers would help the GMS economies upgrade international competitiveness, as their skills remainsimple and their productivity is still low, Phuc added.

He suggested the GMS countries share their database and conduct sharedresearches on efficient, sustainable exploitation, use and management ofnatural resources that include the Mekong River.

He also said that the GMS nations and their developed-economy partners shouldimprove their cooperation and increase the effectiveness of sustainabledevelopment and environmental protection.

The GMS governments should include their green growth strategies in their ownnational development plans, he said, adding the subregion should expand its relationsto other developed economies, international financial institutions and thebusiness community to benefit all members.-VNA