The Future Direction of Republic of Korea and Mekong Cooperation in a Climate of U.S.-China Competition

The Future Direction of Republic of Korea and Mekong Cooperation in a Climate of U. S. -China Competition Sungil Kwak (bio) U. S. -China competition over the Mekong River subregion is accelerating. China began full-scale cooperation with the Mekong states (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar) through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) forum in 2016, and the United States launched the new Mekong-U. S. Partnership in 2020, an extension of its 2009 Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). Japan, Australia, and India likewise are promoting Mekong subregional cooperation in their respective medium- to long-term regional initiatives and strategies. Although the Republic of Korea (ROK) lags other major partners in regional development, it has been cooperating with the Mekong subregion since 2011. Based on the ROK's strengths, this essay suggests ways in which the ROK can and should promote cooperation with Mekong subregion states and partners. The focus is on how to enhance the effectiveness of cooperative projects by sharing the ROK's own development experiences and know-how with the Mekong states and the region's other partners. The essay begins with a summary of the current status and characteristics of ROK-Mekong cooperation within the framework of the ROK's New Southern Policy (NSP). It then explores the new roles of the ROK in the subregion as the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy and China's Belt and Road Initiative compete with each other. The Current Status of ROK-Mekong Cooperation Although the overall development and growth of the Mekong subregion has lagged that of the leading Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand—the Mekong subregion (excluding Thailand) recorded a compound annual growth rate of around 7% before the Covid-19 pandemic and is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic areas in the world. The ROK is not alone in focusing attention on the subregion. Indeed, the United States, China, Japan, and India, among others, have made various efforts to strengthen relations with the Mekong basin countries. End Page 35 Cooperation between the ROK and the Mekong subregion began in 2011 with the first Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting. At that time, the ROK presented the Han River Declaration with three main goals for the subregion: (1) to undertake sustainable development in the Mekong basin, (2) to narrow the development gaps within the ASEAN region, and (3) to foster cooperation within East Asia and promote the regional community. Since then, Seoul has advanced two Mekong-ROK plans of action (2014–17 and 2017–20) to develop mutual cooperation with the subregion. Six priority sectors—information and communication technology (ICT), human resource development, green growth, water resource management, rural development, and infrastructure—were selected as targets for cooperation. Meanwhile, the ROK and the Mekong basin countries established the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund with 7. 42 million—provided by the ROK between 2013 and 2019 and administered by the Mekong Institute—for thirteen sectors, including water resource management and human resource development. These two sectors are particular areas in which the ROK has a comparative advantage. After its announcement of the NSP in 2017, the ROK bolstered its funding of the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund to 2 million. It then further increased its support to 3 million in 2020 and 4 million in 2021. 1 Cooperation between the ROK and the Mekong countries has expanded from governments to the private sector with the establishment of the annual ROK-Mekong Business Forum in 2013. This event offers an opportunity for firms from the ROK and the Mekong basin to have one-on-one consultations and has contributed to promoting exchanges between small- and medium-sized enterprises. As a result of such efforts, the scale of trade between the ROK and the Mekong countries has increased 2. 4 times to 84. 5 billion, and interpersonal exchanges have tripled to 7 million people since 2011 when cooperation began. 2 The first ROK-Mekong Summit in November 2019 produced the "Han River–Mekong River Declaration for Building Partnerships of People, Prosperity, and Peace, " which reiterated joint support for the objectives of the original 2011 Han River Declaration and Seoul's prioritization of [End Page. . .