The eighth ministerial meeting of Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was held in Manila, the Philippines. India was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh. The MGC is an initiative by India and five ASEAN countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications. It was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Laos.