BEIJING: The eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, under the theme “Toward a Better Community Through Innovation-driven Development,” is being held from Wednesday to Thursday in Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, with China focusing on cooperation in key areas including regional connectivity and trade and investment, in a bid to promote sustainable development and economic integration in the region.
Mao Ning, spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on Monday that leaders of the five Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and President of the Asian Development Bank will attend the summit upon China’s invitation.
Since its inception over three decades ago, with the concerted efforts of the six GMS member countries, the GMS has vigorously advanced coordinated economic and social development and regional integration, bringing tangible benefits to the people of these countries, Mao said on Monday.
In a world facing a sluggish economic recovery and geopolitical turbulence, it is all the more important to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and focus on development and prosperity. Through this summit, China hopes to have in-depth exchanges with other parties, with an emphasis on openness, innovation, connectivity and coordination, strive for new progress in cooperation in key areas, including regional connectivity, trade and investment, agriculture and poverty alleviation, and make greater contributions to promoting sustainable development and economic integration in the region, the spokesperson noted.
Experts noted that the achievements that China and the Mekong countries have gained demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of cooperation, and the ongoing summit will point the way for the six GMS countries to deepen collaboration in areas including environmental protection, infrastructure construction and emerging sectors such as new energy collaboration.
Cooperation between China and the Mekong countries, which is based on mutual respect and win-win development, will continue to promote the stable development of the regional economy, setting a good example for regional connectivity, especially in a world where the unilateralism is on the rise, analysts noted. Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies said that new energy cooperation, joint law enforcement and disaster prevention will be the new emphasis during the summit. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
