Copyright 2003 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2003 The Saigon Times Daily
The Saigon Times Daily

March 5, 2003

LENGTH: 303 words
HEADLINE: BRIDGE OF TRADE TO LINK AN GIANG, CAMBODIA - EASIER TRAFFIC
ACROSS GMS BORDERS
BYLINE: Yen Dung
BODY:
(SGT-HCMC) The Ministry of Communications and Transport plans to build
a bridge over the Binh Di River to connect Vietnam's An Giang Province
and Cambodia's Kandal in the hope of promoting sales of An Giang wares
to the neighboring country.
A ministry official says the Vietnamese government is expected to
provide VND50 billion toward the cost of the bridge at Binh Khanh
Border Gate, and Cambodia will also contribute. However, no date or
even time frame has been given for a start to construction. An Giang
chairman Nguyen Minh Nhi says his province will spend VND87 billion
(US $ 5.7 million) on upgrading roads and other infrastructure to
develop Binh Khanh into an international trade arena.
Nhi expects the presence of a bridge to boost sales of An Giang goods
to Cambodia via official channels.
Sales to Cambodia via Binh Khanh earned An Giang upwards of US $ 13
million last year, while the value of border trade in the other
direction was put at a mere US $ 146,000.
The job of designing the bridge was handed to Transport Engineering
Design Inc. South, better known as Tedi South, following a three-day
visit to the area by ministry and Cambodian officials last month.
Deputy Minister Tran Doan Tho says the design is to be presented to
the Government before the year is out.
* Reduced tariffs on certain goods later in the year and a new road
through the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) should facilitate the
cross-border passage of people and goods in the six countries that
occupy the region, according to Deputy Minister of Communications and
Transport Pham The Minh.
Minh says Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China are
negotiating the tariff reductions at the moment.
As for the road, the deputy minister reckons that will be in place
sometime in 2005.
JOURNAL-CODE: FSGT
Vietnam News List - vnnews-l
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/vnnews-list.html
List owner: Stephen R Denney <sdenney@ocf.berkeley.edu>