Lancang-Mekong cooperation fuels agricultural trade growth

Businesses from China and the five countries along the Mekong River are ramping up cooperation in the agricultural sector, with a focus on expanding exports and sharing expertise.

The 6th Lancang-Mekong Business Forum, held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday, brought together companies from all six countries to explore new opportunities and partnerships.

Durian delights

One company looking to expand its reach is Kullanard Grand Co., a Thai exporter of fresh durian and durian-based snacks. Its general manager Yukholthorn Bartholini Masakul told CGTN that the company is in talks with its current distributor to increase cooperation and is also eyeing the packaged food market in China.

"We've been exporting to China for 10 years," Masakul said. "This year, we want to do more than just fresh fruits. We're also looking to export packaged foods."

Kullanard Grand is also interested in importing food processing equipment from China. Masakul, who is fluent in Chinese and has lived in China for eight years, is optimistic about the future of China-Thailand trade relations.

Masakul said he is delighted to see the new visa-free policy that will be implemented in March. "I hope it will bring more Chinese tourists to Thailand, and I also hope to be able to visit China more often myself."

Investing in innovation

Agriculture is among the key areas of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework, which was launched in 2016 to foster economic and social development in the sub-regional countries.

The trade volume of agricultural products between China and the five Mekong countries reached $32.4 billion in 2022,  a year-on-year increase of 15 percent，data from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

The Pan Group, a Vietnamese agriculture and food company, is also looking for ways to deepen its ties with China. The company's director of research and development Trung Anh Nguyen told CGTN that the company is hoping to find Chinese partners for investment and product research and development.

Impressed by his first visit to China, Nguyen said he regrets not visiting sooner.

"We're very interested in using advanced Chinese technology to develop new products for the Vietnamese market, and then exporting them to other countries around the world," Nguyen said.

Building bridges in business

Finding the right local partner was a common hurdle for both Masakul and Nguyen, and both expressed eagerness to forge connections at the forum.

This sentiment resonated with Chinese companies present, many of whom expressed their desire to connect with suppliers from Lancang-Mekong countries and promote their agricultural expertise and cross-border business services.

There were several lively discussions on Wednesday about building bridges between businesses from across the region at the forum.

A memorandum of cooperation between the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Mekong Institute was also signed at the forum. The two parties agreed to collaborate on capacity building, agricultural trade promotion, and exchanges of personnel and information.