Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has participated proactively and madesignificant contributions to the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism, which wasset up ten years ago by Japan and five Mekong nations of Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In the past decade, Vietnam has affirmed its increasingly important role in thecooperation mechanism by actively involving a line-up of activities like the GreenMekong Forum, and cooperative programmes in environment, clean water, disasterprevention, among others.

The country isdrawing up a plan for the cooperative activities in 2019-2021 period.

Vietnamese ministries and sectors have involved in some 100 projects carriedout in the framework of the mechanism. Among them, Lach Huyen deep-water port,Noi Bai International Airport’s terminal 2, O Mon thermal power plant, and NghiSon 2 thermal power plant are important projects to Vietnam’s infrastructuresystem. Thanks to the mechanism, the country has already built and operated anelectric customs clearance system and produced measles-rubella vaccine.

Besides, it has put forth projects to connect the Sub-Mekong region andintegrate the Mekong water resources management into the cooperation mechanism.

Japan recommended the Japan-Mekong partnership programme at the 12th ASEAN Summit in 2007. Since then, member countries of the cooperation mechanismhas organised nine high-level meetings, 11 ministerial meetings and economicministers’ meetings, reaching various agreements.

During 2009-2012, their cooperation focused on soft and hard infrastructure,sustainable development, narrowing development gap, environmental protection,response to challenges like diseases and natural disasters, and enhancingexchanges between Mekong countries and Japan.

Meanwhile, they worked together to bolster connection within the Sub-Mekongregion, between the Sub-Mekong region with other parts of the world, andbetween Mekong countries and Japan during 2013-2015. Also, the Mekongdevelopment roadmap for 2012-2015, and the Mekong-Japan Economic and IndustrialCooperation Initiative were carried out.

For 2016-2018 period, aiming to attain the “quality growth”, and continue sustainableeconomic development, the countries joined hands to branch out industrialinfrastructure as well as develop transport links between Mekong countries andother regions. In addition, they worked to expand industrial sectors andregional value chain, improve human resources, foster institutional andeconomic connection and people-to-people exchanges, and accelerate sustainabledevelopment towards a green Mekong.

At the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Tokyo on July 4, 2015,Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the official developmentassistance of about 750 billion JPY, or 7 billion USD, to the five Mekongcountries to carry out the New Tokyo Strategy 2015 for Mekong-JapanCooperation. Japan also prioritised the Sub-Mekong region when carry out the“Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” initiative in collaboration with theAsian Development Bank. The 110 billion USD project aimed to developinghigh-quality infrastructure in Asia-Pacific.

Furthermore, the Mekong Industrial Development Vision for the 2016-2018 periodhas been carried out under the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism.-VNA