Brighter Future for GMS

China and Mekong River countries have joined hands to work for better regional integration, economic growth and sustainable development, Pham Tuan Phan, chief executive officer of the Mekong River Commission (MRC)Secretariat, announced on March 31.

Phan said the sixth summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation, which took place in Vietnam, defined the Hanoi Action Plan and the Regional Investment Framework for nearly 230 projects with a cost of US$66 billion.

In 2017, trade volume between China and thefive Mekong countries—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam—reached US$220 billion, up 16 percent from 2016.

China’s total investment in the five countries exceeded US$42 billion, with a growth rate of more than 20 percent in 2017.

“Cooperation between the two sides will supplement both and create a solid foundation for the development of the Mekong River in both socioeconomic development and environment, benefiting all people in the Mekong region,” Phan said.

Established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement,MRC is an intergovernmental organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the lower Mekong river basin.