Myanmar traders welcome resumption of shipping service along Mekong River

Myanmar traders welcome resumption of shipping service along Mekong River
Myanmar traders Saturday welcomed the resumption of international shipping services and joint patrols along the Mekong River with their counterparts from China, Laos and Thailand to facilitate flow of commodities and ensure security along the Mekong River, a major transport passage in the region.

The Mekong River plays a crucial economic role in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS),U Myat Thin Aung, member of the Central Executive Committee of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told Xinhua.

He noted that the restoration of international shipping services on the Mekong River is beneficial to all traders and people living along the river.

Aung expressed delight over the resumption, saying that traders are enable to buy and sell goods produced by GMS countries conveniently with reduced cost.

He added that cooperation among the four counterpart countries would boost the security along the Mekong River and remove the transportation barriers in the Golden Triangle region.

Escorted by joint patrol boats, 10 cargo vessels set sail from the Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna of China's southwestern Yunnan Province during the launching ceremony on Saturday.

The shipping services along the river had been suspended since deadly attacks on Chinese cargo ships on Oct. 5.

The Mekong River, known in China as the Lancang River, rises on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before spilling into the South China Sea.

Editor: Deng Shasha

English.news.cn   2011-12-10 19:26:13              
YANGON, Dec.10 (Xinhua)