Mekong Sub-Region Nations Vow to Develop Infrastructure

Five countries along Asia's Mekong River pledged Sunday to put more investments on transport infrastructure development to enhance connectivity and maintain sustainable economic growth.

The commitments were made by the five prime ministers of the sub-region countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- at a session themed: Region Growth and Leadership at the ongoing World Economic Forum on East Asia.

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said the regional countries should mobilize investment capital from East Asian partners and other countries for infrastructure development process.

The regional countries should create favorable conditions to apply a public-private partnership mechanism for the development of transport and urban infrastructure networks, Dung said.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said a common logistics network should be set up. Thai ministries and agencies have joined hands with East Asian partners of China and Japan for more soft loans for infrastructure development in the regional, he said.

A special fund should be set up to support the regional countries, he said.

Laos will continue actively building railway and road transport infrastructure networks linking China's southern province of Yunnan, its capital city of Vientiane, and parts of central Vietnam, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh said.

Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen also agreed to boost transport, energy infrastructure development.

Myanmar Prime Minister U Thein Sein held that enhanced connectivity would help regional countries improve cooperation to maintain sustainable agricultural production.

The Mekong sub-region consists of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's Yunnan and Guangxi.