Backgrounder: Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

VIENTIANE, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the six GMS countries will be meeting in Vientiane, Laos on March 30-31 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.

The triennial meeting, the third among the Leaders of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), will have as its theme "Enhancing Competitiveness Through Greater Connectivity".

It aims to sustain and deepen economic cooperation and integration efforts among the GMS countries in order to better meet development challenges and realize the common vision of an integrated, harmonious and prosperous subregion.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (the GMS Program) was started in 1992 by the six countries sharing the Mekong River -- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

About 320 million people live within the GMS region, and their common link, the Mekong River winds its way for 4,200 kilometers. The great majority of these people live in rural areas where they lead subsistence or semi subsistence agricultural lifestyles.

The area boasts abundant natural resources and huge development potential. With a long history of cultural and economic exchanges among the nations, the area has formed peculiar cultural and economic characteristics based on different folk customs and natural landscapes of the six nations sharing the river.

These resources provide both income and sustenance to the great majority of people in the subregion who are leading subsistence or near subsistence agricultural lifestyles. The land yields timber, minerals, coal, and petroleum, while water from the many rivers supports agriculture and fisheries and provides energy in the form of hydropower. The coal reserves of the subregion are abundant, and the oil and gas reserves considerable. Most of these are in Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. These abundant energy resources are still relatively underused.

The First GMS Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2002, while the Second GMS Summit was held in Kunming, China in July 2005.