MI CONDUCTED TRAINING PROGRAM ON SMART SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND BUSINESS OUTREACH

Trade and Investment Facilitation

To further strengthen the rice trade relationship of countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion, a five-day online Regional Training Program on Food Safety and Market Access for Rice in the Lancang-Mekong Region was organized by Mekong Institute and the Rice Department of Thailand on November 22-26, 2021.

Supported by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund, the training program aims to maximize rice trade opportunities within the Lancang-Mekong Region. It served as a platform for establishing reliable intra- and inter-market access for rice products in the region and seeking more opportunities for international market integration for safe rice products.

“There is a strong need for raising the awareness and understanding of safety and quality requirements, particularly in accessing foreign markets,” Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI Executive Director, said during the opening session. He also emphasized how working towards inclusive and sustainable rice production systems and value chains will help ensure that farmers sustain their livelihoods and that benefits are shared among stakeholders.  

Rice production cooperation and rice trade are very important in increasing farmers' income and improving farmers' well-being, as well as our food safety and food security

Rice is a staple food and has served as the backbone economy in the region for a century. Almost all countries in the region are leading rice exporters in the world, contributing to a quarter of the total global rice exports. Understanding food safety and market access of the LMC member-countries is essential to increase trade efficiency and expand market access. Anchored in this context, the concluded training program was the first capacity building initiative under the three-year project on the Development and Implementation of Common Rice Product Standard in Lancang-Mekong Countries to attempt the alignment of rice product standards of the six LMC member countries for better international and regional rice trade.  

Gathering 24 participants from the public and private sectors of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, the training program covered a wide range of topics, including rice-related sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and the Chinese quality standards on rice and its import regulations.

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Mrs. Guohua Liu

Director, Sustainable Energy & Environment (SEE) Department

Mrs. Liu Guohua is the Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department at the Mekong Institute. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, where she played a key role in shaping and implementing China’s cooperation strategies with UN development agencies. During this time, Mrs. Liu was actively involved in advancing initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate change and green development. Additionally, she contributed to the evaluation of projects funded by various Chinese initiatives, such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, etc.

In addition to her work in the Department of International Economic Affairs, Mrs. Liu has an extensive diplomatic background. She spent 7 years in the Department of African Affairs, followed by a 4-year tenure at the Chinese Embassy in Lao PDR, where she gained deep expertise in both Southeast Asian and African affairs. These diverse experiences have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to sustainable development and international collaboration, particularly in building regional partnerships and tackling global challenges like climate change.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in Finance, from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, specializing in International Economics and Trade, from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.