The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), recently organised a workshop on strategic, regional investment framework under GMS Economic Cooperation. The workshop is an opportunity for economic experts of ADB to launch a new strategic framework for the GMS in the period 2012 – 2020, whose most important content is to lay emphasis on core strategies for creating breakthroughs for GMS programme.
The economic cooperation initiative of GMS was made in 1992 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Member countries of the GMS include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China (with two preventative provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi). According to the founders of the GMS cooperation programme, it aimed to promote and create favourable conditions for beneficial economic development among countries in the region and to bring the Mekong sub-region rapid development and prosperity. In addition, GMS cooperation is also appreciated as the most effective sub-regional cooperation mechanism.
Cooperation initiatives and activities in the GMS programme focus on nine key areas including transport, energy, environment, tourism, telecommunications, trade, investment, human resource development, and agriculture and rural development.
According to statistics from ADB, by the end of 2012, ADB provided US$5.5 billion of loans and grants to support the projects in the GMS Programme. In particular, Vietnam received US$2.3 billion and 136 projects on regional technical assistance worth US$275 million. The ADB’s assistance focused on traffic networks, economic corridor, power connection, tourism development, infectious disease control and HIV/AIDS prevention, food security and environmental protection. Those strategic areas assisted by ADB have shown that the GMS has made remarkable progress in hard infrastructure (transport, energy and telecommunications), soft infrastructure (advantages in transport and trade).
Additionally, there are significant changes in tourism, adaptation to climate change and environmental programmes. However, under the view of economic experts of ADB, being an open connection with the participation of many countries and spread over a large area, up to present, the GMS is still having incomplete traffic network infrastructure in the absence of support. Particularly, the connectivity transport in the GMS is quite relative, focusing primarily on the exploitation and development of sea transport. However, other types of traffic are not really paid due attention.
According to recommendations, economic corridors of the GMS include North-South Economic Corridor (passing China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand), East-West Economic Corridor (passing Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar), Southern Economic Corridor (passing Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand). Those economic corridors are highways and part of regional corridors. Aside from the connection point from the beginning to the end of the corridor, the vertical connections throughout the surrounding areas also play a very important role. Because of the advantages of those roadways, the GMS countries need to further strengthen the link to create a comprehensive transport development, both by sea and by road, thus create basis for trade and economic development and investment. In addition, GMS countries will also need long-term strategies for urban development, multi-disciplinary infrastructure, industrial complexes, logistics facilitating transport, trade and private investment.
In the framework of the Strategic Framework of period 2012 – 2022, the ADB hopes that GMS countries will become more prosperous and equal. Accordingly, the action plan of the GMS in period 2012 – 2022 will focus on practical items such as creating a favourable policy environment and efficient associated infrastructure; facilitating trade, investment, tourism and other forms of economic cooperation across borders; developing human resources and skills; ensuring sustainable and equal development; paying due attention to social and environmental issues in the planning implementation process of the GMS Programme. In addition, to meet the growing demand as well as changes in the economy of each country in the GMS, the ADB’s economists also made some adjustments in some areas. In particular, the main objective will focus more on soft infrastructure to support hard infrastructure. Besides, priority will be given to the right sectors. Also it is important to strengthen links between disciplines, rebalance attention and resources across sectors to improve efficiency and overall impact, closely coordinate between national plans of GMS countries and the area’s priorities.
According to Mr Hoang Viet Khang, Director of Foreign Economic Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, national coordinators assume that the development plan of the next 10 years of the GMS should focus on connecting traffic corridors of the State and the region to connect to the general transportation corridor (also economic corridor) of the GMS. Branches of the State economic corridor, if in good connection with public transport corridor, will create a premise creating basis for synchronous and effective development for many other areas of the GMS Programme.
Anh Phuong
Đăng ký: VietNam News