PM Nguyen Tan Dung on Tuesday attended the opening ceremony of the 4th Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit in Myanmar together with leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, China and the host country. The summit seeks a new decade of GMS strategic development partnership. PM Dung and other leaders expressed satisfaction over achievements recorded during the implementation of GMS Strategic Framework until 2012, particularly cooperation in transports, energy, information, trade and investment facilitation, agriculture, tourism and environment. The Summit approved a 10-year GMS Strategic Framework until 2022, which will serve as a basis for the development of sub-regional economic cooperation. Other important documents approved include the 2nd phase of the Cooperative Framework from 2012 to 2016 of the Core Environment Program (CEP), Biodiversity Conservation Corridor Initiative, and refocused GMS Tourism Strategy over the next 4 years. Addressing the summit, PM Nguyen Tan Dung stressed the need to boost capital mobilization for investment in infrastructure development, consolidate sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, and strengthen coordination of parties involved from central to local levels, between the government and the private sector for economic corridor development. The PM said it’s necessary to enhance capacity building for policy makers and expand networks between economic regions and corridors to bolster trade and investment.
During the summit, PM Dung and other leaders witnessed the signing of 3 Memoranda of Understanding among GMS countries on joint action to reduce HIV Vulnerability related to population movement, cooperation to develop an information super highway network in GMS and the establishment of the GMS Freight Transporters Association (FRETA).
To close the summit, delegates released a joint statement, confirming their determination to boost cooperation, overcome challenges and look forward to a Mekong region of integration, prosperity, and harmonious and sustainable development. The next GMS summit will be held in Thailand in 2014.
During talks earlier with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Vietnam and China should coordinate closely in seriously implementing bilateral agreements, especially those on resolving maritime issues, under international law. Mr Dung highlighted the role of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the need to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and finalize a Code of Conduct in the East Sea. For his part, State Councilor Dai affirmed that the Chinese leaders are determined to resolve the remaining maritime issues between the two countries and China wants to join ASEAN in implementing the DOC and begin negotiating the COC.