KUNMING, July 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government attaches importance to the role of the business circle in the GMS cooperation, and hopes it would make greater contribution to the common progress of the region, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao here on Monday.

    During a dialogue with the business communities of the Greater Mekong River (GMS) countries, Wen said the GMS cooperation has been deepened and turned out fruitful in recent years, thus the business communities in the region will have more room for economic activities as the trade and investment environment has improved.

    He said the business communities have always played an important role in trade, investment and economic cooperation, and have contributed to regional prosperity.

    Strengthening the relations between the government and business circle is of significance to achieving common prosperity in the subregion, he said.

    On trade facilitation, Wen said the Chinese government always pays much attention to improving the trade and investment environment. It has increased transparency and openness of laws and policies, facilitated the entry and exit of personnel and commodities, and provided the domestic enterprises with good services to help them in international economic cooperation.

    Infrastructure construction should remain the focus of the GMS cooperation though great progress has been made in this respect, Wen said.

    On telecommunications cooperation, Wen put forward a three-point proposal, including enhancing telecommunications development in the rural areas, promoting human resources development in the telecommunications field; and strengthening exchanges between telecommunications sectors of the GMS nations.

    China has been active in advocating and participating in information highway construction under the GMS mechanism, and would like to support its own enterprises to join in the program, he said.

    The dialogue is a part of the ongoing second summit of the GMS Economic Cooperation, and the participants also include prime ministers of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Haruhiko Kuroda, president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

    The leaders of the other five GMS members also encouraged the business circle to participate in the subregional cooperation. Their proposals included strengthening the partnership between public and private sectors and financial organs like the ADB, to create a more fair and convenient environment.

    More than 300 people from the GMS business communities participated in the dialogue.

    The GMS cooperation mechanism, initiated in 1992 by the ADB, involves Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It aims at promoting development of the Mekong River valley and inter-country cooperation in the region. Enditem