From July 3 to 4 2005, the Forum on Business Participation in the Cooperation of GMS was held in Kunming, Yunnan Province. The Forum was hosted by Wang Yiming, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC). Nearly 400 participants including government officials and business representatives from the 6 nations in the GMS, and representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) attended the Forum. The participating representatives focused their discussions upon trade and investment facilitation, infrastructure, information networks and other topics of common concern.

The Forum aims at stimulating the comprehensive participation of the business community in the cooperation and development of the GMS, and promoting the common economic and social development and prosperity of all nations in the GMS. During the Forum, Premier Wen Jiabao of China and the leaders of other 5 nations who attended the 2nd GMS Leaders' Meeting held talks with the representatives from the business communities.

Wang Yiming, Chairman of the Forum reported the general discussions of the Forum to the leaders of all nations in the GMS on behalf of the business community. He pointed out the challenges and opportunities for the GMS cooperation from three aspects: improving business environment, promoting institutional building and strengthening information exchanges. He said that the accelerated growth of economic integration requires all nations to constantly advance the reform process, create a sound macro-economic environment, and particularly improve laws and regulations and strengthen institutional building continuously. The business community hopes that all the governments can provide technical, consultative, financial and other services, encourage industrial associations to actively participate in the cooperation, and promote the communications between the business communities. Furthermore, information and communication systems should be established and improved and information exchanges should be strengthened in the fields of policies, laws, regulations, market supplies and demands, and flow of goods.

Win Aung, Chairperson of the GMS Business Forum, reported to the leaders the results of their discussions on the subject of trade and investment facilitation. Win Aung noted that the level of trade and investment facilitation is an important standard to measure the competitiveness of the GMS. With regard to the barriers to trade and investment facilitation, he suggested that all the governments further strengthen the capacity building of government departments, improve the transparency of regulation and administration and actively promote the implementation of the Cross-Border Transport Agreement and the Strategic Framework of Trade Facilitation and Investment Actions.

Sorn Sokna, Vice President of Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, reported the discussions on strengthening the infrastructure construction. He said that building sound infrastructure is the key to realizing trade and investment facilitation and promoting the economic development of the GMS. The major challenge at present is how to satisfy the great demand for capitals needed for the infrastructure development. He hopes that all the governments can create a predictable regulatory framework and a stable investment environment, establish close and effective partnerships between the public sector and the private sector, and attract more private investment for infrastructure development. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other multilateral development agencies should participate more in the cooperation of infrastructure development, offer project financing and help reduce investment risks. Moreover, he hopes that the governments of the nations in the GMS make efforts to establish multiple business models, effectively link emerging manufacturing centers with the market, and ensure energy supplies.

In the area of constructing information networks, Leng Rongquan, Vice President of China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom) pointed out in his report to the leaders that it is the common task of the 6 nations in the GMS to speed up the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) and build an information society. In 2004, the governments of the 6 nations jointly put forward a vision of building GMS Information Highway and active progresses have been made in this respect. Leng said that the business community hopes that the governments of the 6 nations formulate related policies on strengthening the ICT cooperation and provide necessary financial support. He suggested that the nations in the GMS build "cooperative partnership in the area of ICT for common development" and accelerate the implementation of the GMS Information Highway project through strengthened telecommunications cooperation so as to benefit all the peoples in the GMS.

During the dialogue, the leaders of the 6 nations fully recognized the important role of the business community in the GMS cooperation and development, and positively responded to the suggestions put forward by the business community. The leaders expressed that they highly prioritize and will carefully study the suggestions put forward by business representatives, continue to enrich the content of the GMS cooperation and create a more open and convenient trade and investment environment for the business community. Meanwhile, they hope that the business community could participate in the economic construction of the GMS more actively and make greater contribution to the common prosperity and development of all nations in the GMS.

During the Forum, business representatives from the nations in the GMS also held business discussions and negotiations.