The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) has developed well since it was established four years ago, and cooperation in public health should be strengthened as the mechanism is entering a period of comprehensive development, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Wang made the remarks at the fifth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, capital of Laos, on Thursday.

Amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, Wang said, Lancang-Mekong countries should promote the establishment of a joint mechanism for handling major public health emergencies and make it a new growth area with the LMC mechanism.

Wang also called for joint efforts in building LMC Economic Development Belt, deepening and strengthening cooperation in issues related to water resources and agriculture.

Bolstering people's livelihood with the LMC Special Fund is also important, and this year the fund will support 152 projects in the six countries, Wang told reporters during a joint press conference with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith after the LMC FMs' meeting.

Wang also stressed governance exchanges, cooperation in security areas such as natural disasters, drug-related crimes, terrorism and online gambling, and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation during the press conference.

Other FMs attending the meeting extended their firm support to China's fight against the novel coronavirus, expressing confidence in China's early victory over the epidemic.

The FMs appreciated China's efforts in promoting social and economic development in Lancang-Mekong countries and agreed to prepare well for this year's third LMC leaders' meeting.

A joint communique was released after the meeting.

The Lancang River originates in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest China. It is called the Mekong River once it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the sea.

More than 326 million people live along the 4,880-kilometer-long waterway, which flows through an area of more than 795,000 square kilometers. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang formally put forward the initiative of the LMC framework at the 17th China-ASEAN Summit, held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on November 13, 2014. The mechanism was established in November 2015. The founding members of the LMC are China and five other Mekong states: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.