Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is now in Laos for the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Wang held talks with Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai and Myanmar officials before Monday's meeting, aiming to boost cooperation.
While meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Wang said China and Vietnam should fully implement the strategic consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of bilateral ties.
China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination as well as mutual support with Vietnam within the framework of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism and further enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Wang said.
For his part, Pham Binh Minh said Vietnam is ready to work together with China to make good preparations for high-level exchanges next year, make good use of the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation and coordination, conduct closer communication and coordination on Lancang-Mekong cooperation so as to further advance the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Wang also met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong.
Wang said that China is ready to deepen cooperation with Cambodia under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen capacity investment and industrial park construction, and help Cambodia improve its independent development capability.
Hor noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He expressed gratitude to China for its selfless support and assistance. He said Prime Minister Hun Sen intends to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to further promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
On the same day, Wang held talks with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.
China is willing to deepen cooperation, speed up the pace of Sino-Thai railway cooperation, and promote greater development of China-Thailand relations in the new era, Wang said.
China will support Thailand's work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, Wang added.
Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Wang said China is willing to continue to be a reliable partner of Myanmar, and to strengthen cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, while meeting with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin.
Wang urged the two countries to implement the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on China-Myanmar Economic Corridor Cooperation. He said China hopes that Myanmar will jointly safeguard peace and stability of the China-Myanmar border region.
(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, December 16, 2018. /FMPRC Photo)