Japan Pledges Over US$5 Billion To Mekong Nations

VIENTIANE (Laos), July 25 (Bernama)-- Japan pledged to provide 500 billion JPY (over US$5 billion) to Mekong nations over three years in implementing projects in all fields within the Mekong-Japan cooperation framework, Lao news agency (KPL), reported.

This announcement was made at the 4 th Meeting of Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers in Bali, Indonesia on July 21.

At the meeting, Japan also pledged to give about US$20 million to assist the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle.

Mekong and Japanese FMs discussed a plan to boost cooperation between the two sides and some regional and international issues of mutual concerns.

Japan, 5 Mekong Nations To Carry Out Growth Plans

Thursday, August 26, 2010
Nikkei (Japan)

DA NANG, Vietnam (Nikkei)--Japan and five Southeast Asian nations on Thursday agreed to carry out action plans aimed at revitalizing industries along the Mekong River through cooperative, cross-border efforts.

At the second Mekong-Japan Economic Ministers meeting held in Da Nang, in central Vietnam, Economy Minister Masayuki Naoshima met with his counterparts from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The first meeting was held last autumn.

Japan has played a key role in drawing up action plans for the Mekong-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Initiative, under which Japan will help the Mekong nations carry out local infrastructure projects, as well as upgrade construction standards for a highway slated to traverse the region from east to west.

Global Rice Output Forecast Cut at UN Food Agency on Dry Spell

July 15 (Bloomberg) -- Global production of rough rice, the staple for half the world’s population, may be less than estimated earlier this year after prolonged dry weather in the Mekong River region hurt crops, the United Nations said.

Output may be 704.4 million metric tons this year, or 470 million tons of milled grain, the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report yesterday after paring estimates for harvests in Asia, including Thailand. That compares with April’s forecast for record output of 710 million tons. Global demand was projected at 461 million tons of milled grain, yesterday’s report said, up from April’s forecast of 454 million.

Dry weather pushed water levels in the Mekong to their lowest level in 30 years near Thailand’s border with Laos, the Thai government said in March. The river also runs through China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam and the areas that rely on it for irrigation grow enough rice to feed 300 million people, according to the Mekong River Commission website.

“The pattern of the monsoon rains over Asia will hold particular sway” for prices, the e-mailed report said. Rainfall will determine India’s potential return to the global market as a rice supplier or lower the availability of exports from countries including Thailand and Pakistan, it said.

India’s monsoon, the main source of irrigation for the nation’s 235 million farmers, was 13 percent below normal as of yesterday, the India Meteorological Department said on its website. The monsoon was 16 percent below normal in June.

The FAO’s Rice Price Index, a gauge of 16 prices from around the world, fell 15 percent between January and June on better-than-expected output in India, the world’s second-largest grower and consumer of the grain.

Rice futures in Chicago, which peaked last December at $16.27 per 100 pounds on concern that India may become a net importer for the first time in more than two decades, traded today at $9.84 per 100 pounds.

--Editors: Jake Lloyd-Smith, Matt Oakley

China's role in Mekong River maintenance

The Mekong water level is the lowest it's been in five decades. Many Southeast Asian countries point the finger upstream, at China.

April 17, 2010
By VietNamNet — Special to GlobalPost

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Song Tao told participants in the Mekong River Council Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand on April 5 that China is willing to promote cooperation with downstream countries in mitigating droughts and floods, sharing hydrographic technology and information, exchange and training of hydrographic experts, etc.

This spring the water level in Southeast Asia’s longest river, the Mekong, has dropped to its lowest level in five decades. Since late 2009, China’s southwestern region and many places in four Mekong River Council (MRC) countries — Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam — have faced severe drought.

For the first time since its founding 15 years ago, the MRC organized a summit meeting. Present were the prime ministers of member countries and, as observers, high-ranking officials from China and Myanmar.

In this dry season, the story about the Mekong River is hotter than ever.

China’s officials at the summit stressed that China is also a “victim of severe drought.” They denied that China’s sequestration of water in upstream dams has caused any harm to the downstream countries.

Deputy Foreign Minister Song Tao emphasized that “statistics show that recent droughts in the Mekong River downstream are caused by severely dry weather. The Mekong River’s low water level is not related to hydro-power plants on the Lan Xang (China’s name for the upper part of Mekong River). China is also a victim of drought.”

To prove its cooperation with countries downstream, Song said, since mid-March China has supplied the data from its Jinghong and Manwan dams. China is ready to promote cooperation with the MRC and downstream countries, he emphasized.

The chief of the Agency for International Cooperation, Science and Technology of China’s Ministry for Water Resources spoke at a preliminary meeting, the Mekong River International Conference, on April 2-3. He said that the water level of the Mekong River has fallen to a record low because of drought and climate change. Only 13.5 percent of the Mekong flow, he said, comes from its upstream stretch, the Lan Xang.

However, people living downstream, some international organizations concerned with water resource management, and environment activists said that the impacts of the construction of hydropower dams in China are undeniable.

China was also blamed for the scarcity of fish in the river because fish cannot swim through its dams.

China reasoned that its hydropower reservoirs are too small to keep back a huge volume of water. Moreover, they can help maintain water in the river at a constant level and prevent floods. The Chinese spokesmen conceded that it is important to have statistics about these dams. Data about water levels on the Lan Xang before and after the construction of the dams has not been released.

MRC Managing Director Jeremy Bird commented that this is the first time China has agreed to share data with downstream countries.

On the margins of the Mekong River International Conference, the acting director of Vietnam’s Southern Irrigation Planning Institute, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, expressed his view that the problem is not only unfortunate weather. China’s management of hydro-power reservoirs has exacerbated current problems, Anh said.

“Any activity in the Mekong River upstream impacts the downstream. Dams which hold water will make certain impacts, including impacts during impoundment of the water or impacts during operation of the dams. In 2003, as soon as China completed the construction of its Manwan Dam, Laos complained about drought caused by this work,” he said.

In 1986-1993, China built the Manwan Dam without consulting any of the downstream countries. It refused invitations to join the MRC, now would it provide information about projects on the upstream sections of the Mekong River.

It’s commitment at the MRC summit to cooperate is good, but experts say that China needs to do more than make promises.

This piece was written by Thai An, and originially appeared on VietNamNet.

United against disaster

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- It's heartening to see that the first Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit turned out to be a platform for forging regional cooperation against the dwindling water level of the river. The outcome will pave the way for more joint efforts from countries bordering the river to fight the ongoing drought there and manage the waterway more efficiently.

The summit meeting, attended by leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, concluded in Thailand on Monday with participants pledging to work closer in dealing with the drought.

This will be a blessing to the more than 60 million people who rely on the Mekong for their livelihoods. Since the end of last year, people in lower basin countries have been suffering from a severe drought that has brought Mekong's water level to the lowest mark in 50 years.

As a partner in the MRC and a country that is situated in the upper stretch of the Mekong, China sent its Vice-Foreign Minister Song Tao to participate. Song promised that China would cooperate with other Mekong-bordering countries in drought-and-flood relief, cooperation on hydropower development, and sharing information.

China's pledges indicate that the country can be trusted as a responsible partner. The country's southwest region is also suffering from the devastating drought that has struck the Lancang-Mekong basin, with more than 23 million people now with very little drinking water.

In the fight against a regional calamity, it's only natural that China and its Southeast Asian neighbors unite in their fight against the disaster.

Drought affects countries along Mekong River

11 Mar 2010
Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – China has refused to release water from dams on the upper Mekong River, saying that there is a drought in Yunnan region even as lower Mekong countries suffer water shortage.

Abhisit Khampilo, Director of Chiang Rai Province's Marine Transportation and Commercial Navigation Office said on Thursday that Thailand's Marine Department has requested the Chinese government to release water from four dams on Mekong River in southern China to allow commercial boats to ply on Mekong because the water is shallow now.

"Chinese authorities have said they cannot release the water because Yunnan province is facing drought and they need to reserve the water for their people. They said that they had to wait for the rainy season," he said, according to a report in a Thai news website Komchadluek on Tuesday.

Thai officials submitted the request letter in keeping with the agreement of the Joint Committee on Coordination of Commercial Navigation on the Lancang-Mekong River between China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, (JCCCN) signed in 2000.

Trairong Suwannakiri, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand on Sunday visited Mekong River bank in Chiang Saen district of Chiang Rai province on the border with Burma and Lao. He said that the water level, the lowest in 50 years, is creating problems for marine transportation and the livelihood of villagers along the Mekong River in Lao, Burma, and north and northeastern part of Thailand.

"We will expedite a meeting with concerned authorities and irrigation experts to figure out why the Mekong is dry. If it is because of water reserved by the Chinese authorities, we have to find a solution," Trairong said.

The problem would affect construction of the costly second port planned in Chiang Saen district.

Droughts in summer and floods in monsoon are a long-term concern for environmentalists and people living along the Mekong River, which flows through China, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. A major problem is a series of river dams built by China in the past decade, which leads to water level fluctuation.

The Mekong River reached its highest level in 30 years, in 2008, in the Golden Triangle area in northern Thailand, where the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos converge. It caused large scale flooding of homes and farmlands.

Local residents said floods in the Mekong increase after dams in China open their water gates to lower the water level in the reservoirs, affecting countries downstream.

Northeastern Thailand experienced severe floods along the Mekong River in Nakorn Phanom Province, which borders Laos.

Joint Role In Mekong

2009-11-15
The Yomiuri Shimbun/ Asia News Network

A neighbour to the countries that hug the Mekong River in Indochina, China has long had an interest in the region, but the United States has recently developed a growing interest in the nations as well.

Japan should take this opportunity, therefore, to back development of the region in close cooperation with both China and the United States.

The leaders of Japan and Southeast Asia’s five Mekong River nations—Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Viet Nam—met in Tokyo for their first-ever Japan-Mekong summit meeting on November 6-7.

The Tokyo Declaration adopted at the summit incorporates Japan’s support measures, including the development of a distribution network linking production sites and industrial centers that are scattered across the region, as well as the expansion of assistance in the field of environmental protection.

Japan and China have found themselves competing for influence when it comes to development of the Mekong area, implementing their own plans regarding the building of transport corridors via the construction of roads, bridges and tunnels.

China has provided assistance for the North-South Economic Corridor programme, which covers an area stretching from China’s Yunnan Province in the north to Thailand and Viet Nam in the south.

Japan, on the other hand, has provided official development assistance for the construction of both the East-West Economic Corridor program, which covers the Indochina area, and the Southern Economic Corridor programme, which connects Bangkok with Ho Chi Minh City.

The use of land routes, such as the East-West Economic Corridor, could greatly reduce the time taken to transport goods compared with sending them by sea via the Malacca Straits.

However, there are hurdles to be overcome to realise a smoothly functioning transport corridor, most notably that customs and quarantine procedures at borders will need to be unified and streamlined.

Therefore, the joint statement reached at the summit notes the importance of improving the basic infrastructure of the Mekong states, not only in terms of hardware such as roads, but software such as border controls.

Japan should emphasise its support for the reshaping of such institutions and the training of customs and quarantine personnel.

Japan and China have provided development assistance to Mekong nations within their own frameworks. But to ensure goods can be transported and people can travel without problems along the three key corridors, it is necessary to establish common rules covering their use.

To that end, it is important that the Japan-China Mekong policy dialogue forum, set up by Tokyo and Beijing in 2008, be used to enable the exchange of opinions on future policies for the Mekong region to safeguard the region’s development and stability.

Also of importance is cooperation with the United States. The administration of US President Barack Obama has placed importance on strengthening its ties with Asian nations.

In July, the United States held its first-ever ministerial meeting with four Mekong nations in Thailand—Burma being the only nation excluded from the forum.

To address the situation in Burma, the Obama administration has revised the previous administration’s economic sanctions-only policy and told the Burma junta it is ready to improve relations with the country.

China has been increasing its influence over Burma, Laos and Cambodia, using economic aid as a strategic tool.

Washington’s apprehension over Beijing’s moves is thought to be a key reason the United States has adopted a policy of engagement with Burma.

As Japan builds a cooperative relationship with China, it must also work with the United States in a way that promotes a favourable outcome for all parties.

Japan, Mekong nations agree to cooperate on environmental issues

Photo: AFP/POOL - Franck Robichon

TOKYO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan and five Mekong nations agreed Saturday to cooperate on issues such as environmental protection and climate change in the next ten years.

In the first summit that opened Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and leaders of the five countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam adopted the Tokyo Declaration, urging enhanced cooperation between the two sides on the environmental issues.

To encourage the region's further development, Japan pledged more than 500 billion yen (5.6 billion U.S. dollars) in official aid to the countries along the Mekong River over the next three years from fiscal 2010.

The Japanese premier will also meet separately with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung later in the day.

Japan steps up ties with Mekong region at summit

By Yoko Nishikawa

TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Japan stressed on Saturday the development needs of the resource-rich Mekong River region where Japan, China and the United States are competing for influence in an area seen as a last frontier of emerging Asia.

At the first leaders' summit among Japan and five Mekong region nations -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- Tokyo vowed to expand aid and assistance to the sub-region in areas such as infrastructure and climate change challenges.

The summit came at an awkward time for Thailand and Cambodia, which are embroiled in a row over Cambodia's decision to make fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra an economic adviser.

But the dispute was not mentioned at the summit and did not affect the atmosphere, a Japanese official said.

In recent decades, Japan has been the biggest outside source of aid to the sub-region, but in the past 10 years China's influence in the region has increased significantly, driven by its quest for resources and a readiness to invest in infrastructure and industry.

After years of neglect under the Bush administration, Washington has also signalled a renewed interest in Southeast Asia.

"It will be very meaningful to keep holding this kind of leaders' summit every year given changes in the international climate," Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told a joint news conference after the summit.

But he played down the notion of competition between Washington and Beijing.

"The fact that the United States and China are trying to increase cooperation with the Mekong region is not bad for Japan at all. Rather, it is desirable to create a win-win relationship with them by cooperating further."

Tokyo, keen on the region viewed as strategic for its proximity to shipping lanes and abundant natural resources, on Friday offered over 500 billion yen ($5.5 billion) in aid over the next three years to the sub-region.

Japan's direct investment in the Mekong region more than doubled to around $6.3 billion in 2007 from 2003.

In a joint declaration and 63 action plans to boost their cooperation, the leaders agreed to start works under "a decade toward the Green Mekong", in which Japan will assist the region's climate change challenges, such as enhancing sustainable forest and water resource management and clean energy technology.

Hatoyama, who took power in September, said the Mekong region would play a key role in his idea of forming an East Asian Community, inspired by the European Union.

"The Mekong region is the key to an East Asian Community. The region still faces a big development gap and by having them overcome such difficulties will raise the momentum and spirit for the community," Hatoyama said.

On Myanmar, the leaders urged all players to take part in the next year's election, but stopped short of mentioning detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Japan’s Hatoyama Pledges $5.5 Billion in Aid to Mekong Nations

By Sachiko Sakamaki

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Japan pledged at least 500 billion yen ($5.5 billion) in aid to five Southeast Asian nations that share the Mekong river over the next three years to spur economic development and fight climate change.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said developing the Mekong region will accelerate economic integration among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Mekong region is “key” to promoting Hatoyama’s idea of an “East Asian Community” modeled on the European Union and that would eventually have a regional currency, according to a Japanese government official who briefed reporters.

The leaders of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar welcomed Japan’s pledge at the first Japan-Mekong summit in Tokyo, the official said.

Attendees included Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, whose countries have recalled their respective ambassadors after Cambodia named fugitive ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra an economic adviser.

Also present were Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Japan is now giving roughly 160-170 billion yen a year to the five countries, the official said.

President Barack Obama, on his first trip to Asia, is scheduled to co-chair with Abhisit a Nov. 15 summit of Southeast Asian leaders that will include Hun Sen.

To contact the reporters on this story: Sachiko Sakamaki in Tokyo at Ssakamaki1@bloomberg.net

Burmese Rally against Then Sein in Tokyo

Friday, November 6, 2009
By SAW YAN NAING
The Irrawady

About 200 Burmese dissidents demonstrated outside Japan’s Parliament House in Tokyo on Friday, the second of three planned protests against Burma’s military government during a visit by Prime Minster Gen Thein Sein who arrived in the Japanese capital on Thursday to attend the first Mekong-Japan Summit.

Burmese pro-democracy demonstrators also launched a protest outside the New Otani Hotel, where the Burmese premier is staying during the summit.

Ko Ko Aung, a Burmese dissident living in Tokyo, said that the aim of the protest was to decry the upcoming election in Burma as a government ploy to hold onto power in accordance with the sham 2008 constitution.

“We want to give a message to the Japanese government that we don’t accept the 2010 election or the junta’s Constitution. So, they should not support the Burmese military government,” he said.

Ko Ko Aung called for the Japanese government to investigate the details of the current political situation in Burma. Japan’s support of the Burmese regime will not help the Burmese people, he said.

He said that the demonstrators have also scheduled a protest outside the Burmese embassy in Tokyo, which Thein Sein will visit on Friday evening.

Jeff Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan Campus, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that Japan wants to step up human security efforts in the region and sees the Mekong-Japan Summit as a vehicle for doing so in a coordinated way.

“Japan will promote human security, natural disaster alleviation, pandemic control and climate initiatives for the nations along the Mekong,” he said. “It is a safe way for limited engagement with Burma that allows the [Japanese] government to plausibly deny re-engaging while at the same time getting some traction in Burma.”

Kingston noted that Japan’s new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada were both well-informed about and sympathetic to the plight of the Burmese and political prisoners and said the current government has expressed stronger support for human rights than previous administrations.

Burma is a member of the six-country Greater Mekong Subregion-Economic Cooperation Program, along with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China.

Japan is traditionally Burma’s largest donor nation.

Japan has invested US $216.76 million in 23 projects since 1988, according to a Xinhua news agency report on Thursday.

Awkward moment at the Japan-Mekong summit meeting?

Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, second left, urges Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, to move closer position for photo session as other Mekon river region leaders from third let to second right, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, with Japanese business group Keidanren leader Fujio Mitarai, right, wait before their luncheon at a Tokyo hotel on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. The leaders are now here to attend the first Japan-Mekong summit meeting. (AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno, Pool)

Japan seeks closer Southeast Asian ties with Mekong summit

By Miwa Suzuki

TOKYO, Nov 6 (AFP) - Japan from Friday hosts the leaders of Southeast Asia's five Mekong River nations as the world's number two economy looks to deepen ties with the resource-rich region amid growing influence from China.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has pushed the concept of an EU-style Asian Community since taking office in September, will meet his counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for the two-day meeting.

Aside from broad regional issues, the Japanese side also highlighted the significance of Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein visiting, saying it would be a good opportunity for dialogue between the two countries.

Much of the region along the lower stretches of the 4,800-kilometre (2,980-mile) Mekong, which starts in the Himalayas, was long isolated by war and turmoil, and remains poorer than other parts of Southeast Asia.

But development has picked up in recent years, with Japan, China and multilateral lenders bringing aid and infrastructure investment, including a web of highways that now criss-cross the region.

"Narrowing the development gap is quite an important agenda point," said a Japanese foreign ministry official.

"Development of the Mekong region will be an important step towards building an East Asian Community."

Besides roads and other infrastructure, Japan is expected to discuss cooperation in programmes to protect the environment, combat climate change and boost human resources development.

The Nikkei business daily said Hatoyama would pledge 200 billion yen (2.2 billion dollars) in low-interest loans -- mostly to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and primarily for water and waste disposal projects -- over three years.

The summit follows a Mekong foreign ministers' meeting in Cambodia in early October and is the first such meeting between Japan and the five nations, according to the foreign ministry here.

The meeting does not include China, although the Mekong flows through the country, where it is called the Lancang.

China has in recent years stepped up aid and investment in the region, from rubber plantations and mines in landlocked Laos, to trade with the military regime in Myanmar, the country formerly called Burma.

The Japanese ministry official, speaking on condition he not be named, denied that Japan was competing with China for greater influence in the lucrative region of about 220 million people.

"We don't need to compete with others," the official said, arguing that Tokyo and Beijing have "very good relations" when it comes to coordinating policies on the region's development.

But Takashi Inoguchi, an international politics professor at Niigata University, said "the Japanese government thinks it is very important" to foster deeper ties with Southeast Asia in view of China's growing presence.

"The phrase 'big market in Asia' may bring to mind China or India, but growth is gathering momentum in ASEAN nations," he said, refering to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Hatoyama will also have bilateral meetings, including with Thein Sein, who is the first premier from Myanmar to visit Japan since 2003 when his predecessor, Khin Nyunt, attended Japan-ASEAN talks.

The ministry official said the gathering would present "a unique opportunity" for Japan to have high-level talks with Myanmar.

"We need to continue to encourage the Myanmar government to take positive steps in the process of democratisation," he said.

The US administration has recently changed its tough stance towards Myanmar and adopted a policy of engagement, with senior US envoys visiting this week.

"Their approach is now coming closer to Japan's policy direction," which has favoured dialogue, the Japanese official said.

Hun Sen in Tokyo To Discuss Mekong Development

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 November 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen left for Tokyo on Thursday, for discussions with one of the nation’s top donors about development within the region.

Japan is hosting a two-day summit between Mekong countries, starting Friday, to discuss development of infrastructure, human resources and others, officials said.

Sri Thamrong, an adviser to Hun Sen, said the summit will also focus on “natural disasters, disaster management, climate change, environmental protection and the prevention of infectious diseases, “as well as development and stability in the region.”

The Japan-Mekong Region Partnership Program seek to expand Japan’s assistance to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as the region overall, over the next three years, totaling $40 million.

Mekong countries include Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Before departing, Hun Sen told a group of editors from Japan’s Kyodo news service that Tokyo had played a key role in peace development in Cambodia and economic development in the region.

Overall, Japan has contributed more than $1.7 billion in aid to Cambodia.

Japan courts leaders from Mekong River region

By John Ruwitch

HANOI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A jostle for influence in Southeast Asia's emerging Mekong River region moves up a notch this week when Japan hosts leaders from five countries where China and other players have ramped up aid and investment.

The two-day event in Tokyo will focus on sustainable development and climate change in a region that includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Mekong River snakes through a last frontier of emerging Asia, scarred by war and anti-colonial struggles, a region viewed as strategic for its proximity to shipping lanes and abundant natural resources.

In recent decades, Tokyo has been the biggest outside source of aid to the sub-region, whose combined population exceeds 220 million and with a total GDP of more than $400 billion. Japanese companies were also among the earliest foreign investors.

But China's global quest for resources, and its outward investment drive of the past decade or so, have enlarged its presence in Southeast Asia.

"The Japanese realise -- they've realised for a long time -- that they are just being totally outmanoeuvred by the Chinese," said Richard Cronin, Director of the Southeast Asia programme at the Henry L. Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

One of the world's major river systems, the Mekong starts in the Tibetan plateau and runs 4,800 km through China and Southeast Asia. China will not be present at the summit.

DEVELOPING HYDROPOWER

The summit will discuss promoting development, while tackling environment and climate change, cross-border problems such as infectious disease, and promoting tourism, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Wednesday.

He downplayed the notion of competition. "We don't need to compete with others. If the region is developed, it will be beneficial to them as well as to us."

Japan's new government has been keen to tackle climate change issues and at a meeting of Japan-Mekong foreign ministers last month, they discussed developing hydropower in a way that would protect the environment and biodiversity.

Scientists say a cascade of dams on the upper Mekong in China and further downstream, some being funded by China, threaten to alter the waterway that directly sustains some 60 million people through agriculture and fishing.

Since the early 1990s, Japan has led the way in funding the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Greater Mekong sub-region programme, which has built roads and other infrastructure. This, analysts say, has laid the groundwork for cross-border economic corridors linking the capitals and major cities.

Lately, China has gotten into the act. In Cambodia, for instance, Japan remains the biggest donor but China has become the largest foreign investor. Prime Minister Hun Sen recently hailed China as his country's best friend.

Chinese companies have been investing aggressively in Laos and Myanmar, as well, building dams, harvesting timber, and participating in mining projects. It is the third biggest investor in Laos and the fourth in Myanmar, Xinhua reported.

Chinese government aid generally has come without strings attached, making it an attractive choice for some governments in the region, analysts say.

Beyond the economics, Cronin believes "it's about the issue of Asian regionalism. Is it a real thing? Is it going to happen? And if it happens, who is going to be in charge of it, or who's got the advantage?"

(Additional reporting by Yoko Nishikawa, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Ek Madra in Cambodia; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

Hun Sen praises Japan's role in Cambodia ahead of regional summit

Wednesday 04th November, 2009
Kyodo

PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday praised Japan’s contributions to peace in Cambodia over the years and said Tokyo is playing a key role as a development partner in the Mekong River region. In a written interview with a group of senior editors from Kyodo News’ member newspapers visiting Cambodia, Hun Sen expressed a request for Japan to upgrade infrastructure to strengthen ties in the region.

In particular, Hun Sen sought support as ‘‘a highest priority’’ for the Mekong River Bridge that will serve as the final gateway of the Southern Economic Corridor, and requested cooperation in world heritage protection. Hun Sen said Japan has played a key role in seeking justice for the victims of the genocidal Pol Pot regime by contributing both spiritual and financial support for the work of the Khmer Rouge tribunal. He said Japan has provided $56.9 million to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, nearly half of the total budget spent by both Cambodia and United Nations since it began operation from 2006.

Mekong summit this weekend

November 2, 2009
By Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation

Tokyo - The first-ever summit of Mekong River countries and Japan will facilitate creation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), Japanese Ambassador to Asean Yoshinori Katori said on Friday.

Tokyo will host the Mekong Summit this Friday and Saturday, with leaders of the five Asean nations touching the Mekong River - Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam - and Japan participating.

"This will be a great opportunity for countries in the Mekong Basin and Japan to gather to discuss greater cooperation in promoting the Mekong region," said Katori.

The summit will focus on narrowing the development gap among countries served by the Mekong and promoting greater Asean integration.

Keiichi Ono, director of the First Southeast Asia Division in the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, said the summit would have a four-part agenda.

First, leaders will discuss how development in the Mekong region should proceed.

Second will be how to respond to the negative effects of development, such as environmental pollution, and transnational problems like infectious diseases.

Third will be expanding cooperation and exchanges between Japan and the Mekong-region countries in a wide range of fields and levels.

Fourth will be a focus on regional and international issues. Any country will be allowed to raise a topic for discussion and have bilateral meetings with others.

"Along with the East Asia Summit, the Mekong Summit will serve as a stage for leaders of the Mekong nations and Japan to share ideas and show their vision for the future development of the Mekong Basin," said Ono.

He said the outcome of the meeting would help countries along the Mekong enhance their attempts at economic development and safeguard their interests once the AEC took effect in 2015.

The Mekong River plays a vital role in Asean. It is rich in natural resources, contains almost half of Asean's population and affords distinct geographical advantages.

A Mekong Partnership was formed in 2007, and there exist many development schemes supported by China under the framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion, along with Asean connectivity schemes.

The Japanese government is donating US$20 million (Bt669 million) to allow 10,000 youths from Mekong countries to visit the country over the next five years and has declared 2009 to be the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year.

Hitting crime at the borders

25/08/2009
EDITORIAL
Bangkok Post

Cooperation has steadily increased in recent years among the six nations that share the resources of the Mekong River. That is not to say that Thailand, China, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia see eye-to-eye on every common problem. But the constant meetings, especially at rural and riverside locations, have steadily brought the six nations closer. Trade, transportation and other fields have prospered.

Now Thailand is pushing its five neighbours to set up a network of border monitors to stem the flow of illicit drugs. The only question is, what took so long?

Chief architect of this excellent plan is Krissana Pol-anand, secretary of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). This is fitting. Over the past three decades, the major anti-drug targets by Thai police and officials has been in the area of the Mekong. Indeed, the Golden Triangle, arguably the world's most notorious centre of drug trafficking, lies where the mighty river separates Thailand from Burma and Laos.

From the time that the Thai government began to seriously tackle narcotics trafficking in the early 1970s, the Golden Triangle has figured in the effort.

During the worst years, the area - including Thai territory - was under the influence if not the actual control of drug warlords like Lo Hsing-han and his successor Khun Sa. Drug gangs controlled farmers, forcing them to grow opium for a pittance. The gangs bought protection in the three countries of the Triangle, sometimes high-ranking protection.

But even when the Thai army ran Khun Sa out of northern Thailand and back inside Burma, there was little cooperation among the six Mekong governments - if any. The generals who controlled Burma were believed at times to be in cahoots with the top drug lords of the heroin trade. China remained aloof, as did Vietnam. Cambodia considered it was not even involved in the problem.

Two major events occurred in the 1990s that changed all of that, hopefully forever. The first was the decision by the Burmese drug traffickers to begin producing and selling methamphetamines to neighbouring countries. This quickly became a bigger problem than the overall heroin trade. It involved China and Cambodia by enslaving their citizens, and by using their territories to smuggle and to sell both the old opiates and the new speed pills.

This occurred as the six Mekong riparian nations were finding that it was more productive to stress and seek common goals than to argue and bicker uselessly over disputes. The Mekong itself became recognised as a resource that must be shared. And while there are still many disagreements over the river, the common goals have brought the six nations into a formal union that embraces far wider goals.

One of these goals must be better cooperation against the international traffickers in drugs, people and illicit goods. Indeed, if anything, Mr Krissana's plan for a six-nation network of border posts deserves to be immediately expanded to cover all facets of international crime.

The plan envisions a literal network of border posts, constantly interacting with one another to share information on possible criminal activity. This is a hugely feasible project, given the state of advanced communications in all six countries. Computer, satellite and mobile phone networks already exist. These could be tapped and used in the proposal for a six-nation defence system. Cross-border crime of all kinds causes common security dangers. The Mekong Region countries should begin immediately to flesh out this excellent ONCB plan, and put it into operation as quickly as possible.

Japan pilots Mekong development plan

January 28, 2009
By Hiroshi Yamazaki UPI Correspondent

Tokyo, Japan — Japan is looking toward five countries along the Mekong River as potential partners and investment opportunities amid the shifting economic and political dynamics of the region and the world. Japanese Foreign Minister Hirobumi Nakasone visited Cambodia and Laos earlier this month to deliver development assistance and strengthen ties with these two countries.

In Cambodia Nakasone handed over Japan-made demining machines, used to locate and destroy anti-personnel landmines, and offered assistance to fight infectious diseases and renovate irrigation facilities. In Laos, he offered financial aid of 1.2 billion yen (US$13.5 million) for clearing unexploded landmines and helping flood disaster victims.

It was former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who decided to prioritize the Mekong region for Japanese assistance for three years starting in 2007. This will be the final year of that program.

In addition to Laos and Cambodia, the other three countries are Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.

Apart from Thailand, these countries are less developed and politically less democratic than the other members of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, to which they all belong.

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, though showing high annual growth rates ranging from 8 to 13 percent, remain the least developed among ASEAN states in terms of per capita gross domestic product. Top of the four, Vietnam's US$836 per capita GDP is roughly half that of the Philippines, according to ASEAN statistics.

Vietnam tops the four in other indexes as well: annual GDP is US$71 billion, more than five times higher than the second, Myanmar; Vietnam’s total trade volume of US$110 billion was ten times higher than Myanmar's.

It is therefore not surprising that many Japanese firms favor Vietnam, after China and India, as their preferred destination for foreign direct investment. They cite low costs and good quality labor as the main attractions for investors in Vietnam.

Politically the Mekong countries have little in common. Vietnam is ruled by the Communist Party and Laos by its peculiar brand of socialism, while Myanmar is dominated by the military junta. Thailand and Cambodia have different degrees of democracy, both under the titular reign of kings.

The five countries each have their own national language and ethnicity as well.

At a seminar held last week in Tokyo, Toshihiro Kudo, senior researcher at the Institute of Developing Economies, described three “economic corridors,” cutting east/west and north/south across the Mekong area that includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Malaysia and Singapore.

Kudo said he expects commercial traffic to increase through these corridors. But countries without significant industrial bases, such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, are concerned that business passing through their borders may not benefit them. Kudo has suggested promoting border trading posts and manufacturing bases to exploit the economic disparities and social diversity between these nations.

Masayuki Takashima, director of Asian Logistics Inc., has reported a not-so-seamless road network connecting the main cities in the region, however. In the 1,400-kilometer stretch through Hanoi and Vietnam into Bangkok, Thailand, his investigative team had to deal with six customs checkpoints.

"Any additional transportation time would become a logistic burden on business," he said.

In the longer term ASEAN should consider a joint infrastructure development scheme involving not only roads and rails but also communications, electricity, and water and sewage systems, advised Shinji Asanuma, visiting professor at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.

According to Asanuma, “soft power” approaches are also necessary among these diverse regimes. To reach their full cooperative potential, they need to share a long-term vision and common standards – a tall order given the present divisions.

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand do have one thing in common with each other and with many Japanese – Buddhism. Compared to other ASEAN nations, whose predominant cultures include Christianity in the Philippines and Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, the five Mekong region nations are traditionally oriented toward Buddhism.

In addition, many senior Japanese citizens are sentimentally connected to this region based on their experiences in World War II, when the Japanese army operated in the region under the national slogan of building a "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere” aimed at supplanting European colonial powers. During the war this came to be seen as a euphemism for Japan’s military expansion.

Contemporary calls for East Asian integration fall under the growing shadow of influence from China, which is rigidly ruled by the Communist Party. Japan is attempting to demonstrate a different model of success based on democratic principles and less authoritarian rule.

The ASEAN nations have acknowledged that Japanese money, technology and markets contributed significantly to the economic success of the "Asian Tigers" through the 1990s. In similar fashion, Japan's involvement in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam could help their economies and lay the foundation for a more closely integrated East Asia.