Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday said Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) should step up cross border transport and trade as well as communication of the advantages they have as a bloc.
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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (second right) holds hands for a photo with other heads of delegations to the 7th summit of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam(CLMV7) yesterday in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam |
Addressing the 7th CLMV Summit that opened yesterday in the Myanmarese capital of Nay Pyi Taw, he proposed several measures to bolster co-operation between the four countries.
He said the four nations should strengthen policy as well as infrastructure links to boost cross-border transport and trade.
They should implement well the agreement on facilitating travel and the transport of goods among Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries as well as other relevant bilateral and multilateral agreements. They should also speed up implementation of the one-stop-shop (OSS) and ASEAN customs transit models while expanding OSS inspections at international border gates in the region, he said.
The four nations should also step up efforts to improve their business and investment environments and strictly follow bilateral and multilateral agreements and commitments on smoothing trade and investment activities, he added.
Dung stressed the need for enhancing the quality of human resources to serve industrialisation and integration through promoting connections in training programmes with international organisations and development partners. At the same time, the rights of employees should be guaranteed, he said.
He said CLMV should increase communication campaigns on the potential and competitive advantages of the bloc, including business opportunities.
The Vietnamese Government is committed to strengthening the CLMV bloc and hopes it would continue work together, promoting sustainable development in each country as well as peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the PM said.
Over the past 10 years, CLMV co-operation has made significant progress in enhancing trade, tourism, customs, transportation and economic corridor links, he said.
He added that the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of this year would offer both opportunities and challenges for the member states.
Economic corridors
Leaders of the four countries agreed to maximise the potential of the East-West economic corridor as well as the southern economic corridor; build policies to encourage investment in agriculture, industry and energy; and establish the CLMV sub-region as a leading tourism destination in the world.
They also adopted the joint statement of the summit and agreed to organise the eighth CLMV Summit in Viet Nam in 2016.
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar requested Viet Nam to continue its annual scholarship programme for their students.
Dung said Viet Nam was honoured to be the co-ordinator for CLMV co-operation next year. He said it was an important time for the four countries to grab new growth opportunities and narrow development gaps among ASEAN member states.
He informed the summit that Viet Nam would co-ordinate with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to organise a high-level business dialogue on the Mekong sub-region on the margins of the eighth CLMV Summit.
Leaders noted that CLMV was well positioned to connect Southeast Asia with major markets such as China, India and Japan, and had the added advantages of a "golden age" labour force and rich natural resources.
They agreed that the block has huge potential to integrate deeply into the region and provide momentum for ASEAN growth.
They discussed ways to strengthen co-operation in trade and investment, development planning and attracting financial assistance from international partners.
A draft Joint Statement of the CLMV summit was also discussed.
The 6th Summit of Ayeyawaddy-Chao Phraya Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), which includes the four nations and Thailand, will also be heard alongside the CLMV summit for two days.
The CLMV summit is held biannually and the two summits have been combined since 2008.
VN, Myanmar plan
Also yesterday, Prime Minister Dung and the President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, said they were determined to create US$500 million in trade this year.
Dung welcomed celebrations for the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the recent success of the Viet Nam-Myanmar Joint Committee's eighth meeting co-chaired by the two Foreign Ministers.
He asked for continued support for Vietnamese firms operating in Myanmar, especially those in banking, oil and gas, telecommunications and industrial plants.
Dung also offered to co-operate in seafood cultivation and processing for export.
He suggested modifying the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to simplify trade and investment.
President Thein Sein said Myanmar was establishing a Myanmar-Viet Nam Friendship Association to raise understanding between the two peoples.
Welcoming Vietnamese business operations in Myanmar, he spoke highly of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai complex in Yangon, one of the largest real estate developments in Myanmar, and pledged to consider licensing the opening of a branch of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam.
Trade hit $480.6 million last year, up 36.8 per cent from 2013. Viet Nam has become the eighth largest investor in Myanmar with 33 projects topping $580 million.
Both sides agreed to co-operate in 12 priority fields mentioned in the Myanmar-Viet Nam Joint Statement signed in April 2010 and realise commitments reached at the eighth meeting of the Viet Nam-Myanmar Joint Committee.
The two countries will also work jointly on planting and processing coffee and peppercorns for export as well as sharing experience in vocational training.
Both host and guest pledged to work closely at regional and global forums, especially ASEAN and sub-regional co-operation mechanisms, while maintaining solidarity on important security issues within ASEAN./.