PM to tackle disparity at meets

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is scheduled to attend two regional meetings held in Kunming, China, today and tomorrow before travelling to Peru for the Apec summit on Sunday, Jirayu Houngsub, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, said yesterday.
The first two meetings are the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Summit (GMS Summit) and the 10th meeting of Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs), he said.
At the GMS Summit, the president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and representatives of the GMS Business Council will join leaders of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and China.
They will discuss how to curb disparities in this sub-region through three pillars: connectivity, competitiveness and community, said Mr Jirayu.
At the Acmecs meeting, to be chaired by Laos, all five member nations (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar) will review the progress in their joint implementation of the 2019-2023 Acmecs master plan, which focuses on seamless connectivity, synchronised economies and smart and sustainable cooperation development, he said.
Thailand aims to push for cooperation to deal with major challenges impacting these nations, including transnational crime, transboundary pollution and climate change.
According to Mr Jirayu, the numerous cooperation frameworks in the sub-region now require a good connection point — a role which Thailand intends to serve.
Initiated by Thailand in 2003, Acmecs is a cooperation framework of the five countries which aim to act together to bridge the regional development gap and work towards supporting Asean nations’ unity, he said.