On July 4, 2005, the Dialogue between the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Leaders and Representatives from the Business Community was held in Kunming. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Boungnang Vorachith, Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai as well as President of the Asian Development Bank Haruhiko Kuroda and more than 300 representatives from the business community of the various countries in the sub-region exchanged in-depth views in a candid manner on issues of common interest such as trade and investment facilitation, infrastructure improvement and information network construction.

Wen hosted the dialogue and delivered a speech. He said that recent years have witnessed expanding and deepening cooperation in the GMS with fruitful results. With the unswerving efforts of the countries in the sub-region, the business community is now enjoying an increasingly broad platform for local economic activities and improved trade and investment environments.

Wen pointed out the business community has been playing an active part in sub-region's trade and investment as well as economic and technical cooperation and has made its own contributions to the development and prosperity of the sub-region. Therefore, to enhance the relationship between the government and the business community is of great significance to the realization of the common prosperity of the sub-region. To deepen the GMS economic cooperation, we must mobilize the business community, reflect their requirements and concerns and give full play to their wisdom and potential. It is hoped that the business community can participate in the GMS economic cooperation in a broader and deeper manner so as to make greater contributions to the common development of the sub-region. He said the Chinese government attaches great importance to the role of the business community and encourages its businesses to "go out" to take part in the economic development of the other countries in the sub-region.

The leaders of the various countries introduced the measures taken by their own government to promote their national economy and the sub-regional cooperation, believing that transportation, energy, telecommunications and infrastructure construction as well as modern information networks and human resources development are key to the eradication of poverty and the realization of common economic development and prosperity. The business community is expected to play an active role and provide technical and financial support. The partnership between the public and the private sectors as well as financial institutions like Asian Development Bank should be strengthened. The governments will try to create a fairer and more convenient environment for the transnational economic and trade cooperation as well as investment activities of the private sector in the sub-region.

When talking about trade and investment facilitation, Wen said the Chinese government has been giving top priority to improving domestic trade and investment climate and enhancing the openness and transparency of laws and policies in a bid to facilitate the cross-border flow of goods and business personnel and provide better services for domestic businesses to take part in international economic cooperation.

Wen noted remarkable progress has been scored in the sub-region's infrastructure construction. However, there is still a long way to go. It remains to be a priority for the sub-regional cooperation and the business community is encouraged to actively participate in the process.

Wen suggested upgrading the sub-region's communications infrastructure from the following aspects. First, to further accelerate the development of communications in rural areas to create conditions for poverty reduction and agricultural development in the sub-region. Second, to further enhance human resources development in the area of communications and promote the managerial and technical expertise of communications professionals. Third, to further boost the exchanges and cooperation in the sub-region's communications authorities and strengthen exchanges between different countries of their experience in telecommunications development and regulation policies. As an active advocate and participator of the sub-region's information highway, China would like to support the participation of Chinese businesses in the project.

The representatives from the business community conducted heated discussions on the topics of the dialogue and put forward a number of constructive suggestions, such as streamlining transnational trade and investment procedures, enhancing information sharing, improving the government's management level, strengthening infrastructure construction, accelerating the building of an economic corridor and implementing the Agreement on the Facilitation of Passenger and Cargo Transportation in the Sub-region, and creating an even more favorable investment environment for the business community.

Wen said in a summery that the dialogue demonstrates the determination of the governments of various countries and the business community to be jointly committed to regional cooperation and development. The results of the discussions and exchanges will exert a positive influence on the formulation of policies by the governments of various countries to promote the participation of the business community in the GMS economic cooperation and the improvement of future development and cooperation strategies. The door for dialogue between the government and the business community remains open forever. The governments of various countries in the sub-region give top priority to the suggestions and proposals put forward by the business community and will carefully analyze them in a bid to turn the suggestions and proposals into concrete actions and measures and to create an opener and more convenient environment for the activities of the business community.

Following the dialogue, the leaders also visited the GMS Telecommunications Development Exhibition.