With the aim to develop economic corridors through transport and trade facilitation and the development of economic zones, ECF-6 participants reviewed the forum’s results in the first six years (2008-2014) and the implementation of the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (GMS CBTA). They made the next GMS plan for transport and trade facilitation, identified the role of special economic zones, border economic zones and industrial zones in the development of GMS economic corridors, and discussed ECF structure and mechanism for the next six years.
Regarding the results of the first six years of the ECF, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that the forum had played an important role in the socioeconomic development of member countries. However, to achieve higher effectiveness of cooperation between GMS member countries in the next six years, it is necessary to tighten the coordination between regional countries, between central and local organizations as well as between the public sector and the private sector in each country.
According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, to improve the cooperation between GMS countries, in the time to come the ECF must focus on strengthening institutions and organizational structure and propose measures to turn challenges into opportunities for member countries.
In the framework of ECF-6, the Vietnamese and Thai governments signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the Greater Mekong Railway Association (GMRA). This event will open new cooperation opportunities between Vietnam, Thailand and other GMS countries.
The Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) was initiated by the Asian Development Bank in 1992, consisting of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China’s Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.
Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong said that in the last six years, despite the impacts of the global financial crisis and debt increases, the ECF had helped GMS member countries develop and build economic corridors, facilitating transport, logistics, trade and investment. The Chinese government and Chinese businesses have greatly benefited from the ECF. To promote further development in the time to come, GMS member countries must increase cooperation in the fields of trade and investment. GMS business forums must be organized for businesses in the sub-region to meet and seek cooperation opportunities so that they can contribute more to the development of GMS economic  corridors.
A representative of the Thai delegation to ECF-6 affirmed that GMS countries must take specific actions at the regional and national levels. Besides, appropriate policies must be proposed to make GMS economic corridors attractive to investors and increase cooperation with relevant local governments.
ADB Vice President Bindu Lohani said that in the last six years, the ECF had significantly contributed to boosting the cooperation between of GMS member countries and their socioeconomic development. To achieve better results in the time to come, in his opinion, GMS countries must tighten links in the fields of trade, transport and infrastructure in order to boost trade, investment, employment generation and sustainable growth./.
By Nguyen Hoa