Mekong leaders pledge stronger links

March 31, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

National leaders from the Mekong region have pledged to boost road, rail and power links between their six countries at a meeting in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.

The leaders of the Greater Mekong Subregion attending the talks include the prime ministers of China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma and Laos.

They have agreed to sustain and deepen economic cooperation and integration efforts at their summit with the Asian Development Bank.

They also agreed to jointly tackle challenges such as health risks, human and drug trafficking, and growing environmental threats, including those posed by climate change.

As the talks continue in Vientiane, engineers and construction crews are developing a regional transport grid financed by the ADB.

The scheme will upgrade and link existing major roads into a dense regional grid, connecting to new rail, water and air links.

There will also be new streamlined border rules, to ease the flow of people and goods.

Third GMS Summit opens to chart future course for region

March 31, 2008

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, the People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 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.

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 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.

Source: Xinhua

China is the 4-ton elephant of the GMS

A Chinese man fixes an airconditionner in front of his shop at the newly called Chinatown in downtown Vientiane, on March 29. When the six Mekong countries meet in Laos from March 30, China will be the elephant in the room, having lavished highways and sports stadiums on its neighbours and expanded its reach for resources. (Photo: AFP)

Sunday March 30, 2008
China the dominant force at Mekong region summit

VIENTIANE (AFP) - When six Mekong country premiers meet in Laos from Sunday, China will be the elephant in the room, having lavished highways and sports stadiums on its neighbours and expanded its search for resources.

Booming China is fast emerging as the biggest economic patron of Laos, host of a two-day Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) summit, as well as of Cambodia and Myanmar, and it is a formidable force in Thailand and Vietnam.

Beijing has expanded its search for energy, minerals and markets as far as Africa and South America, but it has also pulled its smaller Southeast Asian neighbours firmly into its orbit with aid, trade and investment.

While China's economic ties with GMS members Thailand and Vietnam still compete with economic powers like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, they dominate in military-ruled Myanmar and in poverty-stricken Cambodia and Laos.

Chinese road crews are helping build transnational highways, such as a link between Bangkok and the southwest Chinese province of Yunnan, that are transforming the region of more than 266 million people under a scheme promoted by the Asian Development Bank.

Traders from China have fanned out across the region, and their cheap produce and consumer goods -- from textiles and plastic wares to mopeds and TVs -- are now sold in the remotest Mekong jungle backwaters.

He Yafei, China's assistant foreign minister, said last Wednesday that the GMS -- which starts with a dinner on Sunday followed by the meet on Monday -- aims "to enhance economic links, to eliminate poverty and promote development".

China would use the summit to "put forward a new cooperation initiative that will include railway, power, information superhighway and other infrastructure development projects" and facilitate environmental protection, he said.

"This is an initiative for mutual benefit and win-win progress."

Not everyone is convinced, especially when it comes to the Mekong, Southeast Asia's largest river, which is shared by the region's unequal members.

China is the only Mekong country to have dammed its mainstream, and it is planning several more hydropower projects on the Chinese and lower Mekong that have alarmed environmentalists worried about its ecology and fish stocks.

In 2004 Chinese engineers finished blasting rapids and dredging the river in the Golden Triangle area for cargo traffic, turning the sleepy Thai river port of Chiang Saen into a bustling trade hub with a Chinese casino.

Some Thai and Lao villagers blamed the river works for falling fish stocks.

China's rise has transformed many other parts of the Mekong region.

In Cambodia, where the 1975-1979 communist Khmer Rouge regime was backed by Beijing, China is the largest foreign donor and has invested in power projects along Cambodia's south coast as well as mines in the northeast.

The China National Overseas Oil Corp has won rights to explore at least one offshore oil field block although no production date has been set.

The garment export industry, which accounts for some 80 percent of Cambodia's foreign earnings, is heavily crowded with Chinese firms.

In Myanmar, a pariah state shunned by many Western countries, China was the biggest foreign investor in 2006, pouring in more than 280 million dollars -- 100 times more than in 2003, according to Myanmar government figures.

Most of the investment has been in big-ticket projects such as dams, mainly to provide electricity for Yunnan, and offshore gas schemes. China is also mulling a gas pipeline to Myanmar's Sittwe port near Bangladesh.

But China's growing influence is also apparent in the north of Laos, the region's poorest country with a communist government that was pro-Moscow until the collapse of the Soviet Union and has since warmed to Beijing.

"A lot of Chinese businesses have sprung up," said Martin Stuart-Fox of Australia's University of Queensland.

"Larger investments are in plantations and mines. Permission has been granted by local officials, for good bribes.

"Land has been confiscated from traditional users, which has caused popular discontent. A weak government in Vientiane has allowed provincial officials, and the local military, to collaborate with the Chinese," he said.

In the Lao capital, Chinese workers are constructing the main stadium for the 2009 South East Asian Games. Beijing has also built a national cultural centre, and a Chinese shopping mall has popped up.

Not far from the summit site, a Lao-Chinese joint venture is planning to develop the That Luang township and industrial park outside Vientiane.

"This is being called the 'Chinese city'," said Stuart-Fox.

"It is widely thought that much of it will be occupied by wealthy Chinese business people intent on extending their exploitation of the country's natural resources over the whole of Laos."

PMs from Mekong countries in informal sessions to chart region's future course

VIENTIANE, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Prime ministers of the six countries sharing the Mekong River are engaged in bilateral meetings and informal sessions here on Sunday, one day ahead of the Third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit.

The Third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, to open in Vientiane, capital of Lao People's Democratic Republic on Monday, has as its theme "Enhancing Competitiveness Through Greater Connectivity."

The prime ministers of the Laos, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand 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.

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.

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.

Exports from GMS countries, excluding China, have quadrupled from 37 billion U.S. dollars in 1992 to 179 billion U.S. dollars in 2006, and foreign direct investment in the GMS has more than tripled from 2 billion U.S. dollars in 1992 to 7 billion U.S. dollars in 2005.

Annual tourist arrivals have also risen dramatically, from 10 million in 1995 to over 22 million in 2006.

Over the past 15 years, approximately 10 billion U.S. dollars in investments have been made in 34 regional development projects. ADB has contributed over one-third of the overall amount.

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

The GMS nations are expected to endorse on Monday a five-year action plan (2008-2012) to foster economic growth and prosperity in the region.

Mekong countries striving for shared prosperity

VIENTIANE, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the six countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) are gathering here on Saturday for their third summit meeting scheduled for March 30-31 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.

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

The leaders of the six countries sharing the Mekong River -- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam -- will talk about how connectivity improvements could help expand markets, improve access to social services, and protect the environment at the triennial meeting.

The meeting aims to sustain and deepen economic cooperation and integration efforts among the GMS countries in order to better meet development challenges and realize the common vision of an integrated, harmonious and prosperous subregion.

President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Haruhiko Kuroda will join the summit meeting. ADB has been financing subregional projects in the GMS, in the form of loans and technical assistance grants since 1992.

Ceremonies marking progress under the GMS Program will be held during the Third GMS Summit. These events include the opening of the section in northern Lao PDR of a road corridor running from Chinese city Kunming to Thai capital of Bangkok; signing of an agreement on power trade, and inauguration of a six-country broadband information platform.

Meetings between the leaders the youth and business representatives from the six countries will also be held.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (the GMS Program) was started in 1992 by the six Mekong countries. It involves planning and carrying out sub-regional projects in nine areas: transport, energy, telecommunications, tourism, environment, human resource development, agriculture, trade facilitation, and private investment.

With the support of the (ADB) and other development partners, the GMS Program is helping the six Mekong countries foster economic growth and reduce poverty through increased connectivity, improved competitiveness and a greater sense of community.

Connectivity is being established through transport corridors, power interconnection systems, and telecommunication networks. Economic competitiveness is being improved through better infrastructure links, and measures to ease the movement of goods and services across borders. A sense of community is being fostered through joint actions that address shared social and environmental concerns, such as preventing the spread of communicable diseases, and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Summit is the highest forum in the GMS Program, serving as the venue where the GMS Leaders can review the progress of, and agree on future directions, for the GMS Program.

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.

Samak to propose Mekong tourism routes

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will propose "cross-basin" tourism routes when he attends the third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) summit in Vientiane tomorrow and Monday.

March 29, 2008
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation (Thailand)

The Asian Development Bank has supported development of transportation routes into the Mekong region since the GMS's establishment in 1992. Some routes, including Highway 9 connecting Thailand, Laos and Vietnam and Highway 3 linking Thailand, Laos and China, have been completed and are ready for transportation.

Samak will propose his own ideas for using these and other roads to promote tourism, said Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama. The minister did not reveal the exact routes the Prime Minister would propose during the meeting.

Leaders from Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam will gather for their third summit in Vientiane to review the 16-year-old development scheme and seek further cooperation.

They will sign a number of documents, including a memorandum of understanding on transportation, and endorse the Vientiane Action Plan for 2008-12 for further cooperation.

The GMS is also involved in other areas of cooperation, such as energy, telecommunications, trade, investment, tourism and human-resource development.

The Mekong: charting a sustainable future

GMS SUMMIT, LAOS

Saturday March 29, 2008
ERIC COULL
Bangkok Post

Not far from where regional heads of state are meeting for the triennial Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) summit in Vientiane runs the Mekong River, a flowing thread that weaves its way through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong River is a powerful symbol of national pride, connectivity and vitality _ the most productive inland fishery in the world, the river with the highest biodiversity in Asia, and home to at least 1,300 species of fish including the Mekong giant catfish, the largest freshwater fish on Earth.

Tomorrow, the leaders of the GMS, an ambitious intra-regional trade plan, have an opportunity to make sure that the Mekong River remains a source of life - but what will this take?

As the GMS becomes one of the fastest growing regions in the world, the challenge facing the governments is increasingly clear; how to sustain rapid economic growth while making sure the Mekong River and the region's ecosystems continue to support the needs of people and nature.

At stake are rivers and forests that provide vital ecosystem services which we all rely on, supporting economies, and yet that often remain overlooked in investment decisions. It is for this reason that the World Wildlife Fund encourages the leaders of the GMS to recommit to a vision of growth where environmental sustainability is the foundation for development.

There is no time to lose. A report by the non-governmental organisation Oxfam that was published in 2007 stated that ''the ability of natural resources to continue to support poor peoples' livelihoods in the Mekong is at a crisis point. Forests and rivers are in a state of rapid ecological decline caused by human over-exploitation''.

In many parts of the world, fast growth with little regard to environmental concerns has seriously limited long-term economic achievements. With major infrastructure projects in the region - 82 existing large hydropower dams in the GMS and 179 more at different stages of planning - and road networks expanding increasingly further into previously isolated areas, there is an urgent need for sustainable solutions.

While infrastructure construction can negatively affect the environment, natural processes can also seriously impact roads (e.g. landslides, inundation) and hydropower installations (e.g. filling in of dam reservoirs).

It is encouraging that the GMS is showing momentum with pioneering solutions that integrate sustainability with growth. These have the potential to set an example for the rest of the world.

Some leaders in the region are already redefining hydropower development in visionary ways. For example, the chairman of the Provincial People's Committee in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, has boldly adopted the recommendations from the hydropower assessment for the Vu Gia-Thu Bon river basin. It is this kind of decision that sets bold precedents in terms of how infrastructure development is approached in the GMS.

Environment-friendly road development in the Mekong flood plains is another priority for the region. Roads can stimulate commerce, especially in remote areas - but they are also regularly damaged after floods and can fragment ecosystems. By considering the environment at an early stage of planning, this avoids unnecessary damages and the expensive and sometimes disruptive measures needed to mitigate them. WWF hopes that the GMS governments will apply these recommendations in the Mekong flood plains.

Three years ago, GMS leaders committed themselves to one vision: an integrated, harmonious and prosperous sub-region that is partly based on Biodiversity Conservation Landscapes. These are large expanses of forest and freshwater _ approximately 60,000 square kilometres _ that were identified as being vital for ecological functions and ecotourism. Now, in the face of climate change and its projected impact on the people of the GMS, the foresight of designing these landscapes is increasingly relevant.

Identifying conservation landscapes is the necessary first step; but there is an urgent need to take more tangible measures within a new management framework. This framework would not only define the landscapes and river basin priorities, but also regional standards for sustainable infrastructure and climate change adaptation measures over the long term.

A true vision of the GMS is one where the Mekong River continues to meet the needs of the region over the coming decades in a sustainable way. The question is, can the GMS ensure the integrity of diverse and productive ecosystems in order to foster sustainable growth? Can it buffer countries and people against the worsening impact of climate change?

Only the leaders attending the Greater Mekong Sub-region summit have the answer.

Eric Coull is Regional Representative for the WWF Greater Mekong Programme, which covers Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

China reinforces commitment to boost GMS economic co-op

BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- China reaffirmed its commitment on Friday to continue to boost the economic cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), saying cooperation will benefit all nations in the region.

"China will further its cooperation with the other GMS members in fields such as transportation, energy, telecommunication, agriculture, environment, human resource development and tourism", said a country report issued by China prior to the third GMS summit.

China along with fellow member states Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar will attend the conference in Vientiane, Laos, on March 30 and 31.

"The other GMS countries are all friendly neighbors of China, and they and China have maintained a long tradition of friendship," said the report, which added China had always attached importance to enhancing and developing its friendly relations with other countries in the region.

GMS cooperation is project-oriented and provides financial and technological support according to the actual needs of member countries.

According to the report, a total of 9.87 billion U.S. dollars, a shared contribution by China and the other five countries as well as the Asian Development Bank, has been poured into 34 projects, and another 146 technological aid projects also cost a total of 166 million U.S. dollars.

Several model projects facilitated by China under the GMS economic cooperation framework were listed in the report, which included:

-- The Laos one-third section of the western line of the south-north economic corridor (Kunming-Laos-Bangkok Road)

-- Cooperation on the Pan-Asia Railway, and research into both the China and other sections.

-- The 110 kw power line connecting Hekou, Yunnan Province, and Lao Cai in Vietnam

-- The GMS Information Highway (GMS IS) phase I project

-- The first GMS Agriculture Ministers Meeting and the GMS Agriculture Information Network Service

-- The implementation of the Action Framework for the GMS Strategy of Facilitation of Trade and Investment, and its own country action plan

"China is planning to promote cooperation on agriculture, railways, and human resource training within the sub-region at the third GMS summit," said He Yafei, Chinese assistant foreign minister, at a news briefing on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's attendance at the summit.

According to He, the triennial meeting will have as its theme "Enhancing Competitiveness Through Greater Connectivity" and Premier Wen will deliver a keynote speech on China's views and proposals to further boost the GMS cooperation and its future development.

The GMS, established in 1992, promotes economic and social development, irrigation and cooperation within the six Mekong countries.

About 320 million people live within the GMS region, and their common link, the Mekong River, winds its way for 4,200 km. The great majority of these people live in rural areas where they lead subsistence or semi-subsistence agricultural lifestyles.

The area boasts abundant natural resources and huge development potential. With a long history of cultural and economic exchanges among the nations, the area has formed peculiar cultural and economic characteristics based on different folk customs and natural landscapes of the six nations sharing the river.

The first GMS Summit was held in Cambodia's Phnom Penh in 2002, and the second in southwest China's Kunming in 2005.

ADB pledges budget for development projects in three GMS countries

March 28, 2008

The Asian Development Bank has promised the budget for a variety of development projects in three Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries for 2008 and 2009, an ADB official said here Friday.

There is no lending project from ADB under the GMS program for Cambodia in 2008, but there are two projects tentatively planned for 2009, namely the Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation project worth 20 million U.S. dollars, and the Cambodia Northwest Road Improvement Project also worth 20 million U.S. dollars, said Chamroen Ouch, senior program officer for governance unit of the ADB Cambodia Resident Mission.

There are three non-lending projects for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in 2008, namely the Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation worth two million U.S. dollars, the Project to Support Implementation of the Core Agriculture Program worth 2.5 million U.S. dollars, and the Mekong Water Supply and Sanitation Project worth 0.4 million U.S. dollars, he added.

Country leaders from Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand are slated to attend the third GMS Summit in Laos on March 30-31.

ADB defined an area of 811,000 square km along the Mekong Riveras GMS. The bank is also responsible to coordinate the development issues of the six countries related to the river through various GMS meetings.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodian PM leaves for Laos

PHNOM PENH, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen left here on Friday for Laos to pay an official visit there and attend the Third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit.

His delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and other senior officials, a government press release said.

During Hun Sen's visit, both sides will sign an agreement on border issues, it added.

Meanwhile, for the summit from March 30 to 31, Hun Sen will meet with the prime ministers from five other GMS countries, including China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, to enhance development and economic cooperation among them through greater infrastructure connectivity, trade and transport facilitation, private investment, environmental management, and other measures, said a press release from the Asia Development Bank (ADB).

Leaders will discuss coordinated actions to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development for all the countries and people of the GMS by enhancing connectivity and competitiveness, and promoting an increased sense of community, it added.

ADB defined an area of 811,000 square km along the Mekong Riveras GMS. The bank is also responsible to coordinate the development issues of the six countries related to the river through various GMS meetings.

Hun Sen to visit Laos, attend GMS Summit [-he will also sign another border agreement with Laos also

PHNOM PENH, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will leave here on Friday for Laos to conduct an official visit there and attend the Third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, said a press release from the government on Tuesday.

His delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and other senior officials, said the release.

During his visit, both sides will sign an agreement on border issues, it added.

Meanwhile, for the summit from March 30 to 31, Hun Sen will meet with the prime ministers from five other GMS countries, including China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, to enhance development and economic cooperation among them through greater infrastructure connectivity, trade and transport facilitation, private investment, environmental management, and other measures, said a press release from the Asia Development Bank (ADB) issued here last week.

The leaders will discuss coordinated actions to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development for all the countries and people of the GMS by enhancing connectivity and competitiveness, and promoting an increased sense of community, it added.

ADB defined an area of 811,000 square km along the Mekong Rivers GMS. The bank is also responsible for coordinating the development issues of the six countries related to the river through various GMS meetings.