Full Text: Country Report on China´s Participation in Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation

(I) Transportation Cooperation

China will further its cooperation with the other GMS members in road, water transportation, railway, and civil aviation. It will actively promote the construction of the transportation passages and related infrastructures in the GMS, and provide half of the funds for building the trans-Mekong bridge, as a part of the Kunming-Bangkok Road, that connects Laos and Thailand. It will also speed up the renovation and improvement of various domestic sections of the south-north passages as well as the related port facilities so as to form a road network in the GMS at an early date. China will energetically engage in the cooperation for international navigation including that of the Lancang-Mekong River. It will push forward the comprehensive and effective implementation of CBTA as well as it annexes and protocols to realize convenient flow of personnel and goods among six GMS members and boost the development of personnel exchange, trade and tourism in the sub-region. It will speed up the construction of the domestic section of the Pan-Asia Railway, and meanwhile take an active part in the international cooperation concerning this project, making joint efforts with other GMS members to facilitate the construction of the Pan-Asia Railway. On the basis of the bilateral frameworks, China will continue its enthusiastic efforts to expand the air transportation between China and the other GMS countries, and promote the mutual opening-up of air transportation markets with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. On the basis of The Framework on China-ASEAN Aviation Cooperation, China will actively explore a framework for multilateral aviation cooperation. It will also strength the cooperation in human resource development and ability building in the transportation field.

(II) Energy Cooperation

China is willing to work with all other GMS parties, through having full consultation and giving full play to comparative advantages, and following the "four stages" vision and the action plan that the RPTOA advocates for the development of GMS power trade, to push forward the priority works for power cooperation, such as formulating the general plan of the GMS for power development, establishing GMS power database and websites, and stipulating the standards and regulations of GMS for operation of power systems and power transmission, and develop bilateral or multilateral power cooperation and power trade, so that the GMS can establish a unified power market and realize interconnection of power systems and free power trade, so as to optimize the allocation of resources, raise efficiency of power systems, enhance and benefit each other, and bring equal and common successes to GMS members. China is willing to expand energy cooperation with other GMS countries in increasing energy efficiency and developing alternative energy sources, so as to enhance the energy security in the subregion.

(III) Telecommunications Cooperation

China highly values and will continue to advance its cooperation with the other GMS members in the telecommunications sector. On the basis of the goals for the first stage of the GMS IS program, China will enthusiastically launch and implement the construction of the second stage of this program, including the extensive cooperation in network operation and maintenance. It will actively discuss and promote various GMS IS information applications. It will increase its exchanges with the other GMS members on rural telecommunications policies and experiences of developing rural telecommunications, push forward construction of model projects for rural telecommunications, and make joint efforts with all GMS members to promote the development of rural telecommunications in the sub-region. China will further strengthen the communication, exchange and cooperation among the departments of GMS countries in charge of telecommunications in various manners, continue to run the training program for senior telecommunications officials of GMS countries, and help to improve the technical and managerial competence of related personnel in the sub-region.

(IV) Agricultural Cooperation

China will actively implement The Strategic Framework for Subregional Cooperation in Agriculture and Core Agriculture Support Program (CASP) for 2006-2010, and, in view of the strategy and key fields and projects that the Strategic Framework specifies for GMS agricultural cooperation, intensify its efforts in follow-up coordination among all the related parties to raise the quality and efficiency of such cooperation. China will further strengthen its communication and exchange with ADB and other GMS members and dedicate itself to expanding the scope and depth of the cooperation, promoting grain safety and poverty relief, facilitating cross-border agricultural trade and investment, and realizing sustainable utilization of natural resources.

Drawing on its advantages in agricultural technology, capacity building, and information exchange, China will continue to strengthen its exchange and cooperation with other GMS members about raising steadily the standards for safety and quality of agricultural products, establishing an agricultural information service system, conducting exchange and demonstration of agricultural technologies, and building a stronger ability of cross-border united prevention and control of animal epidemics. Specifically, China will engage in the following work of GMS cooperation: First, speeding up the unification of the safety and quality standards of agricultural products to ensure healthy development of cross-border agricultural trade and investment; Second, implementing the critical measures for bird flu prevention as soon as possible, and strengthening the ability of cross-border united prevention and control of animal epidemics; Third, accelerating the utilization and development of biomass energy, mainly methane, to improve the biological environment of countryside; Fourth, giving full play to the agricultural information network of GMS and raising the level of agricultural information service in the sub-region; Fifth, committing itself to grain safety and poverty relief, and deepening GMS cooperation for rural development.

(V) Environmental Cooperation

Taking into consideration its domestic conditions, focusing on the "GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative" (BCI) and considering other core environmental planning (CEP) projects, China will actively facilitate the work of selecting the indexes for the strategic environmental impact assessment in the BCI regions. It will enhance GMS exchange and cooperation under the framework of UN's Convention on Biological Diversity. It will encourage BCI cooperation in the field of climatic changes, enhance the research of the impact of climatic change upon biodiversity, and relate the research of climatic change to the rural environmental protection work under BCI. In GMS environmental cooperation, China will substantially implement the guiding principles of "Help and promote each other in environmental protection, and make joint efforts to guard the earth", forge a positive image of the sub-region, contribute to construction of a harmonious region, and create an international cooperation room that is conducive to the environment and development of the sub-region.

China will actively help building the ability of other GMS members to enforce environmental protection laws at the border regions, help other members elevating their levels of policy and law enforcement for forest protection and fighting against illegal transportation of hazardous wastes across borders, and encourage establishing a law enforcement network among all GMS members. China will also encourage the cross-border trade and investment activities of the member countries to abide by the principle of sustainable development, and enhance the building of environment-related trade and investment ability in the sub-region.

(VI) Human Resource Development Cooperation

China will actively promote the implementation of the Phnom Penh Program, with Yunnan and Guangxi being the participating regions, but enjoying the support, in both technology and teaching staffs, from all the provinces of Southwest China and even the whole country. China encourages and supports all competent universities, polytechnic schools and training institutions to participate in GMS training programs and help to develop Yunnan into a base for GMS human resource development and training. China will actively push forward GMS cooperation in the field of education. China will engage in cooperation with other GMS members in elementary education, vocational education, and higher education. China will promote the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the degrees and diplomas of higher education among GMS members, and increase government scholarship quotas for students from other GMS members through various channels. It will further improve the distance education network intended for other GMS countries, and continue to enrich the resources for the distance education. China will strengthen its diplomatic negotiation with other GMS countries in hope of signing multilateral agreements and implementation plans for international human resource development and training within the GMS.

(VII) Health Cooperation

Under the existing framework, China will work toward establishing a more steady and sustainable long-term mechanism for health cooperation among GMS countries. It will promotes the formation of the GMS strategy for health cooperation covering control of epidemics such as AIDS, bird flu and dengue fever; extend the malaria control cooperation between China and Myanmar, the AIDS control cooperation between China and Myanmar, China and Laos, and China and Vietnam respectively, and the tuberculosis control cooperation between China and Vietnam into cooperation among more GMS countries to form a cooperation mechanism of the sub-regional level; and improve the mechanism for exchanging and sharing information of epidemics with other GMS members. China will enhance the coordination between different departments, especially that between agricultural departments and the departments of entry-exit inspection and quarantine, to implement the cross-border programs in an all-round and in-depth manner. China will also sponsor the second GMS health forum.

(VIII) Tourism Cooperation

China will continue to attach importance to GMS tourism cooperation at the national level and will boost its development, and work with other GMS members to introduce and promote the cross-border tourist lines and foster a GMS tourist region with distinct features. Yunnan and Guangxi will be major participants in GMS tourism cooperation. Yunnan will speed up compiling The Plan of Transnational Tourist Lines in the Upper Mekong (Golden Square) Tourism Region and The Plan of Transnational Tourist Linesin the Western Yunnan-Northern Myanmar Region. Guangxi will continue to deepen its tourism cooperation with Quang Ninh Province of Vietnam, and try to open the drive travel lines between Guangxi and Vietnam. It should continue to deepen its cooperation with Vietnam and Cambodia in cultural tourism, and energetically strive for tourism integration in the Beibuwan Bay region, so as to form a Pan-Beibuwan Bay tourist region at an early date.

(IX) Trade and Investment Cooperation

China will continue to cooperate with other GMS members as well as international financial institutions such as ADB to continuously facilitate convenience of trade and investment and raise efficiency of customs clearance, so as to make contribution to the economic growth and common prosperity of this sub-region. The Chinese government is willing to work with other GMS members to further eliminate the barriers to and create an easy and convenient environment for trade and investment in the GMS. With the support and coordination from ADB and other international financial institutions, the Chinese government will mainly undertake 5 priority projects for GMS trade and investment facilitation, namely, customs, inspection and quarantine, trade and logistics, flow of business personnel, and construction of information platforms; continue to enhance policy coordination among member countries, solidly implement The Action Framework for the GMS Strategy of Facilitation of Trade and Investment and CBTA, and assist the transportation corridors to develop into economic corridors to boost the economic development along them; starting with the "Single Window" port service, energetically push forward facility of trade and investment, improve the infrastructures of ports and border cities, so as to facilitate trade and investment and improve infrastructures of border regions at the same time; intensify ability building and provide more training opportunities for government officials, especially the law enforcement officials of the ports, to improve their understanding of policies and administrative abilities so that they can provide better services for the industrial and commercial community.

Moreover, China will remain committed to more consultation with other GMS countries and relevant international organizations, push for a more steady GMS cooperation mechanism at the central government level, intensify its crackdown on drug crimes, and try to reduce the harms done to this sub-region by drugs. It will continue to implement The 2007 MOU Beijing Declaration adopted by the 7th MOU ministerial meeting, the updated GMS Action Plan, the bilateral drug prohibition agreements between China and GMS members including Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, and The Memorandum of Understanding Between the National Commission for Drug Prohibition of the People's Republic of China and the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control of the Union of Myanmar on United Satellite Remote Sensing and Monitoring of Opium Planting in Northern Myanmar to pursue all-round GMS cooperation in drug prohibition. China will continue to strengthen its cooperation with other GMS countries in law enforcement for drug prohibition, and lend strong support to the crop substitution efforts of other GMS countries so that illegal planting of opium can be completely eliminated in this sub-region at an early date.

Editor:Zhang Ning