ASEAN work to boost GMS connectivity

Promoting infrastructure connectivity among Greater Mekong Sub-region states is key to the region’s economic growth, experts said at a recent conference in Bangkok.

Promoting infrastructureconnectivity among Greater Mekong Sub-region states is key to theregion’s economic growth, experts said at a recent conference inBangkok.

At the 2013 Administration Summit jointlyorganised by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia(ERIA) and Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, Prof. Hidetoshi, ERIASecretary-General, held that strengthening strategic connectivity andprioritising hard and soft infrastructure systems will support theeconomic restructuring process in the region and narrow the developmentgap in ASEAN.

Meanwhile, chief trade representativeof Thailand Olarn Chaipravat reaffirmed that an infrastructure projectvalued at 700 million USD that the country launched recently is aimed atenhancing ASE AN intra-bloc linkage.

Heunderscored that Thailand will focus the country’s future connectivityprogrammes on the promotion of links between Yunnan ( China ) withLaos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Established in 2007 in Indonesia, ERIA works closely with both theASEAN Secretariat and 16 regional research institutes to undertake anddisseminate policy research and provide analytical policyrecommendations to leaders and ministers at their regional meetings.-VNA

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