The youngest forum, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), will call its second summit meeting next Wednesday in Phnom Penh to endorse a five-year action plan (2018-2022) regarding its cooperation projects. In 1992, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) sponsored the six countries to form the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to jointly develop infrastructure to facilitate economic linkages in the basin. However, so many cooperation frameworks in the Mekong region raise questions among observers about overlaps in terms of membership, cooperation sectors and functions. The GMS covers all six countries but focuses on infrastructure development as well as sectoral economic cooperation. In addition, the LMC also has five key priorities: Connectivity, productivity capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 02, 2018 18:00 UTC