MINISTERS from the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) nations committed to expanding cross-border energy trade at a major regional meeting organised by the Asia Development Bank (ADB) Friday.

In a joint statement following the 15th GMS Ministerial Conference in Thailand's Petchburi province, the ministers - from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - also called for broader integration in the power sector beyond electricity.

Cambodia was represented by Finance Minister Cham Prasidh at the conference, which also discussed transportation, trade, telecommunications, agriculture, tourism and environmental programmes.

The ministerial statement set out a road map for extending modern energy access to all GMS communities through rural electrification schemes and off-grid power systems, and by greater sharing of the sub-region's diverse energy resources, which includes hydropower, oil, gas and coal.