China and Mekong River countries pledge support for ASEAN

World
Europe

Senior foreign affairs officials from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam agreed on Friday to deepen pragmatic cooperation to benefit their people.

At the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, they decided to implement the consensus reached by their leaders to promote more cooperative projects and build a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong River countries.

The Lancang-Mekong River is a natural link between the six countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, December 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn co-chaired the meeting. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended the meeting.

At the meeting, Wang expressed that China and the Mekong countries share similar geographical and cultural features. With the LMC mechanism in place, countries need to transform these advantages and potential into momentum for development, he added.

The foreign affairs officials congratulated the progress which has been made in some key areas including connectivity, industry capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction.

The 3rd LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting is held in southwest China's Dali for sub-regional cooperation, December 15, 2017. /CGTN Photo

They agreed that LMC has evolved from its nurturing period into the growing period, and all member countries should make greater efforts to advance economic and social development, narrow the development gap, and support the building of the ASEAN community.

They agreed to synergize LMC with the development strategies of each member country, the Belt and Road Initiative and the relevant development programs of ASEAN.

At a press briefing after the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister highlighted a Five Year Action Plan starting from 2018 designed to guide Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. Wang told the media that the foreign ministers approved a Joint Press Communique, and announced the list of the implemented projects in 2017. They agreed to establish a cooperation hotline information platform, and to make concerted efforts and help the Lancang-Mekong cooperation evolve from its nurturing period into the growing period.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, December 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

'One of the most lively sub-regional mechanisms'

The Lancang River originates in northwest China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is called the Mekong River once it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea. Over 326 million people live along the 4,880-km-long waterway, which flows through an area of more than 795,000 square kilometers.

The six countries officially started the LMC process in March 2016. Since then, the LMC mechanism has resulted in a number of outcomes, including political mutual trust, trade and investment cooperation, as well as people-to-people exchanges. As the first sub-regional cooperation mechanism of its kind, it also works to promote South-South cooperation, and contributes to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The source of the Lancang River in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest China. /VCG Photo

"The LMC is a new type of sub-regional cooperation platform established by the six countries along the Mekong River," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing on December 7.

The LMC is committed to deepening good neighborliness and pragmatic cooperation among the six countries, promoting the economic and social development of sub-regional countries, building a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries, to help boost ASEAN community building and regional integration, he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, December 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, December 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, December 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

"With the joint efforts of the six sides, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has become one of the most lively sub-regional mechanisms, and its potential is great," said Huang Xilian, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, Thursday.

"The three pillars of the LMC – political and safety, economic and sustainable development, social and cultural – fit with the foundation of ASEAN community building," according to Lu Guangsheng, a professor at Yunnan University.

(CGTN's Meng Qingsheng also contributed to the story.)

2191km

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency