Prime Minister shares new vision for Mekong region

Discussion session on “New vision of the Mekong region”. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

Also attending were Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong.

At the discussion session, leaders of the Mekong countries discussed important issues for the development and integration of the Mekong countries such as the impact of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, digital connectivity, transport infrastructure connectivity, soft infrastructure, environmental issues, Mekong River water resource management, etc.

The leaders assessed that the Mekong region needs to make efforts to promote its internal strength, market advantages, and abundant young human resources to take advantage of opportunities and benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for faster and more sustainable development. The leaders shared orientations and measures to promote integration in the Mekong region as well as the region's integration in ASEAN and the world; coordinate to strengthen connectivity in transport, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure; promote economic linkages, promote complementary advantages to enhance the competitiveness of the Mekong region; strengthen coordination to promote soft infrastructure connectivity, facilitate trade and investment, etc.

Speaking at the discussion session, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc shared his vision for a peaceful, stable, integrated, connected, and sustainably developed Mekong region. The Prime Minister emphasized that the integration of Mekong countries has made important contributions to consolidating the peaceful and stable environment in the region, while effectively promoting the potential and complementary advantages of Mekong countries, promoting innovation and reform, perfecting economic institutions, and actively contributing to improving people's lives.

The Prime Minister assessed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution creates great opportunities to promote integration in the Mekong region, in which soft connectivity and digital connectivity are increasingly important in economic connectivity. The Prime Minister emphasized that in addition to connections in efficient use of water resources, energy connectivity, transport connectivity and human resource training connectivity, the Mekong region has great potential for digital infrastructure connectivity with a market of about 250 million consumers with increasing incomes.

The Prime Minister said that at the Ministerial-level meetings within the framework of the WEF ASEAN 2018, Vietnam proposed an initiative to expand the cooperation model on mobile network connection at a single price among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for the whole Mekong sub-region and ASEAN, aiming to build a “flat ASEAN” where people enjoy the best telecommunications services with international roaming rates within the ASEAN region being the same as domestic rates. The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will contribute to promoting faster and more effective development for countries in the region.