On Monday, September 13, 2021, Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport, in his capacity as the Mekong-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation (MJ-CI) Minister, attended the 13th Mekong-Japan Economic Ministers’ Meeting via video conference. Dr. Khampeng Saysompheng, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Lao PDR, co-chaired the meeting with Mr. Hiroshi Kajiyama, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, along with ministers from Mekong subregion countries: Mr. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce of Cambodia, Mr. Aung Naing Oo, Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations of Myanmar, Mr. Tran Quoc Phuong, Minister of Planning and Investment of Vietnam, and Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Wanchat Suwankitti, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council as Thailand’s senior official representative, development partners, representatives from Japanese and Mekong subregion private sectors, and the ASEAN-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee (AMEICC) serving as secretariat.
The meeting acknowledged the progress of the Work Program under the Mekong Industrial Development Vision 2.0 (2019-2023), which focuses on subregional development under three pillars:
1. Physical and regulatory connectivity to support industry
2. Digital Innovation and industrial advancement through digital technology
3. Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce inequality and promote sustainable development
Additionally, five new projects were presented in collaboration with development partners to support the three pillars: 1) One Village One Product (OVOP) promotion project 2) E-commerce training project for government officials 3) Energy transition guidelines development project 4) Human resource development for carbon neutrality implementation and 5) Sustainable growth dialogue promotion project
On this occasion, the Minister of Transport commended Japan and Mekong subregion countries for their efforts to strengthen economic value chains, trade, and investment connectivity despite the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expressed Thailand’s commitment to connecting value chains with neighboring countries through physical and regulatory infrastructure development, focusing on linking transportation networks with special economic zones along various economic corridors. Plans include connecting multimodal transportation systems with neighboring countries, such as double-track railway projects and north-south and east-west intercity motorways under the Motorway-Rail Map (MR Map) comprising 9 routes, the Southern Land Bridge project connecting the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, and the IMT-GT initiative focusing on quality and environmentally friendly infrastructure development, while enhancing Thai citizens’ and workers’ digital capabilities for future industries.
The Transport Minister requested Japan to take a leading role in technology transfer and knowledge sharing regarding IoTs/Smart Devices/Cloud Computing for member countries, particularly in Japan’s champion industries in the Mekong subregion such as automotive and electronics. He also expressed Thailand’s commitment to driving sustainable development goals through zero-carbon emission policies, especially in the automotive sector and increased renewable energy usage.
The MJ-CI framework supports Japan’s role in connecting supply chains of Japan-based industries such as automotive and electronics, as well as industries that extend Japan’s value chains like food industry, health tourism, and elderly care services. It primarily focuses on value chain connectivity along the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) and Southern Economic Corridor (SEC).
The 14th Mekong-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Ministers’ Meeting will be held in 2022, hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Photo: Ministry of Transport
News: International Strategy and Cooperation Division, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council
