At the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit held in Tokyo yesterday, Japan announced a new aid package and strategy for cooperation that was seen as a counter-balance to China’s growing role in the region, which includes bilateral aid to most Mekong states as well as the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

As the Bangkok Post reports:

Japan hopes to distinguish its aid packages on infrastructure development in the Mekong region from that of China by promoting advanced Japanese technology, environment-friendly know-how and capacity-building schemes, the officials said.

In their summit in April 2012, Japan pledged to provide about 600 billion yen in official development assistance to five Mekong countries over the next three years to boost the region’s development.

The new strategy is in line with Abe’s investment initiative announced in May to provide US$110 billion promote “quality infrastructure” in Asia over the next five years.