Vietnam asks Japan for more help to Mekong River Commission

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made several important proposals to promote sustainable co-operation in the Mekong River region, including more help from Japan to the Mekong River Commission, at the sixth Mekong-Japan Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on November 12.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the sixth Mekong-Japan Summit in Nay Pyi Taw (Credit: VGP)

He stressed that regional connectivity should not be limited to the relations between Mekong nations or those belonging to ASEAN but be extended to other regions in order to help the Mekong countries participate more deeply in the regional and global value chains.

The Vietnamese leader suggested that Japan help study the possibility of building new multimodal transport routes linking the Southern and East-West Economic Corridors with the Indian subcontinent and South Asia.

He emphasised the need to combine economic development with environmental protection, and called for more assistance from Japan to the Mekong River Commission, especially in conducting studies on the sustainable management and use of Mekong water resource, including assessment of impacts of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong’s main stream.

In addition to co-operation at the governmental level, Mekong-Japan collaboration should be extended to that between the two sides’ businesses and localities, he added, naming agriculture, aquaculture and logistics as potential fields for partnership at local levels.

The Vietnamese PM also took the occasion to thank the Japanese Government for its valuable support for the region and reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to the Mekong-Japan co-operation for sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

At the event, leaders of Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan agreed to strengthen Mekong regional connectivity to serve the building of an ASEAN Community by 2015 with attention paid to developing economic corridors and new roads linking the Mekong sub-region with the Indian subcontinent.

They reached a consensus on building a “Mekong Industry Development Vision” with the aim of speeding up the establishment of the regional value chains and facilitating business activities between the sub-region and Japan.

The leaders also reaffirmed the vital importance of managing and sustainably developing Mekong water resource and committed to fostering co-operation with local and international organisations in this field.

The summit issued a joint statement and agreed to hold the next summit in Japan in July 2015.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)