Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting via video conference on August 24, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Li will co-chair the meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily media briefing.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Myanmar's President U Win Myint will also be in attendance.

In 2014, China initiated LMC, consisting of six countries – China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The cooperation mechanism focuses on five areas: connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation and water resources management, as well as agriculture and poverty reduction.

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

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In his talks with the Lao prime minister via video link last month, Li called LMC an integral part of China's cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

At Friday's press briefing, Zhao said China and countries along the Mekong River are "good neighbors, partners and brothers."

The third LMC leaders' meeting was originally planned to take place in Lao capital Vientiane in early 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesperson noted.

He said the Chinese premier and other leaders attending the meeting will make a blueprint for the countries' cooperation in areas such as water resources, connectivity and public health.

Li attended the second LMC leaders' meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in January 2018. The leaders of the six countries adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration and the Five-Year Plan of Action (2018-2022) at the meeting. 

(With input from Xinhua)