US To Invest In Mekong River Transport & Clean Energy Projects

By Poppy McPherson (Reuters) – U.S Vice President Kamala Harris announced $20 million in new funding for clean energy projects in the Mekong region, during the last day of her tour of Thailand on Sunday following a regional summit.

She spoke to civil society and business leaders in Bangkok after the close of a meeting of the 21-member APEC bloc a day earlier.

“Bold climate action is not only necessary to protect the people of our planet and our natural resources, but it is also a powerful driver of economic growth,” she said.

In an earlier news release, she said the administration would request funding from Congress for the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), through which the two countries partner with regional nations to promote sustainable energy.

“In particular we know that the climate crisis presents a real threat to the communities who depend on the MekongRiver. In Thailand, in Vietnam, Laos.”

(Reporting by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Christopher Cushing)