| State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan Speaks at the Ministerial Conference of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation Programme |
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| 2004-11-28 13:55 |
On September 19, 2003, the Ministerial Conference of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation Programme was held in Dali, Yunnan Province. State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Chinese Minister of Finance Jin Renqing, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Korn Dabbarangsi, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh, Laotian Minister of Prime Minister's Office Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Myanmar Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, and Vietnamese Vice Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Dinh Khien led their respective delegations to the conference. Vice President Jin Liqun of the Asian Development Bank and Governor Xu Rongkai of Yunnan Province also attended the conference.
Tang pointed out in his speech that since its launching in 1992, GMS economic cooperation has achieved substantial results in infrastructure building, cross-border trade, investment, environmental protection and other key areas, well serving the purpose of joint planning, prosperity and equitable development, and injecting new vitality into regional economic and social development.
Tang emphasized that maintaining friendship and partnership with its neighbors is an important part of the Chinese government's foreign policy. We will maintain peace and achieve prosperity with our neighbors, rather than bully or disturb them. Countries along the Mekong River are important neighbors of China and important cooperation partners. China will continue to work to consolidate friendly and cooperative relations with them and jointly promote cooperation to make it more in-depth and fruitful. We hope that all the parties will strengthen contacts and coordination for joint development and benefits and promote all-round development of the economies of the countries to make the sub-regional cooperation better benefit the peoples of the region.
During the conference, the parties discussed the implementation of the initiatives of last year's GMS Summit, examined the progress in key areas, decided upon the cooperation plans for the next few years and decided to hold the second summit in China in 2005.
Before the conference, Tang also met with the heads of the delegations and officials from the Asian Development Bank.
(Information from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC ) |
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