Chinese FM on eighth Greater Mekong Subregion Summit

Participating parties at the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit agreed to expand cooperation in various areas, forge new driving forces of growth, and make active effort for regional peace, development and prosperity, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Kunming City of southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday morning, and the heads of government of the five Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and President of the Asian Development Bank attended the summit, said Mao.

"Premier Li Qiang noted that over the past three decades and more since the establishment of the GMS mechanism, it has increasingly become an important platform for China and Mekong countries to explore cooperation and promote development. Thanks to concerted efforts, regional economic cooperation made new progress with growing trade and investment, greater connectivity, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and deepening affinity between the peoples. The fruitful cooperation outcomes speak volumes about the vitality and strong resilience of the GMS mechanism," said the spokeswoman.

"Premier Li Qiang stressed that China and Mekong countries are developing countries that share geographic proximity, people-to-people affinity and close cultural links. We are a community with a shared future like a family. Faced with complex international and regional landscape, we need to work in solidarity, leverage our complementary economic strengths and further deepen practical cooperation in various fields," said Mao.

"First, we need to uphold open cooperation and enhance trade and investment facilitation. China stands ready to work with Mekong countries to promote two-way opening up at a higher level and with greater scale, and build a more efficient and vibrant mega market. Second, we need to highlight innovation and nurture new driving forces for regional development. China stands ready to work with Mekong countries to deepen cooperation in industries of new energy battery, automobile and the photovoltaic industry, and expand cooperation in emerging areas, such as clean energy, smart manufacturing, big data and smart cities," said the spokeswoman.

"Third, we need to deepen integrated development and speed up regional economic integration. China stands ready to work with Mekong countries to deepen 'hard connectivity' of infrastructure, and enhance 'soft connectivity' on policies, laws, supervision, rules and standards. Fourth, we need to have close communication and collaboration for better coordination of regional cooperation mechanisms. China stands ready to work with all sides to practice true multilateralism, advance coordinated development of GMS, Mekong-Lancang Cooperation and other mechanisms for an inclusive and mutually-reinforcing cooperation atmosphere," she continued.

"Participating parties agreed to expand cooperation in such areas as trade, agriculture, connectivity, digital economy, green development, health care, tourism, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, forge new driving forces of growth and make active effort for regional peace, development and prosperity. The summit adopted the Joint Summit Declaration, the GMS Innovation Strategy for Development 2030 and other documents," said Mao.

Chinese FM on eighth Greater Mekong Subregion Summit

Chinese FM on eighth Greater Mekong Subregion Summit

A high-level mediation team from the African Union (AU) Commission has been dispatched to Juba, capital of South Sudan, to try to ease the rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, and help resolve the current political crisis in the country.

Riek Machar and several senior officials have been detained since clashes erupted in January between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and the opposition fighters.

Machar was accused of instigating violence in Nasir in the northern part of the country.

The mediation team says it plans to engage Machar, but that meeting is yet to take place.

The AU is urging South Sudanese political leaders to resolve the current disagreement through dialogue.

Machar heads the largest opposition group that has an armed wing in the country, known as SPLM/A-IO.

South Sudan's government says it's still investigating Machar for being allegedly involved in clashes between government troops and armed civilians affiliated to SPLM/A-IO in Nasir.

"The mandate of the RTGoNU (the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity) is simple; that we stop war, we form a revitalized government of national unity so that we return security, sustainable peace in the country," said Martin Elia Lomuro, South Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

Meanwhile, Machar's party members are calling on president Kiir to order the release of their leader.

The group argues that the arrest of Machar means the 2018 peace deal which ended five years of violence in the country has partially collapsed.

The government reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.

It says Mr. Machar is in conflict with the law and that the implementation of the peace deal should not be used as cover to commit crime. However, until now, South Sudanese law enforcement agencies have not charged Machar with any offense in a court of law.

South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, signed a peace deal in 2018 that ended a civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. Nearly 400,000 people died in the civil war.

Relations between Kiir and Machar, who have dominated South Sudan's politics for decades, remain strained. The clashes and latest political tensions between the two leaders have unsettled many citizens and the international community.

AU dispatches Panel of Wise to address ongoing instability in South Sudan