The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, which is made up of the 6 countries along the river, has achieved fruitful results since its inception in 2016. The LMC has formed dialogue mechanisms at many different levels. It so far has held one leaders' meeting, three foreign ministers' meetings and five senior officials' meetings. Reporter Meng Qingsheng recaps the major achievements made at the recent foreign ministers' meeting in southwest China's Yunnan.  

Nourished by the same river, and enjoying mutual growth. The 3rd LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in December 2017, in Yunnan's Dali. Participants from the countries along the river, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, hailed the rapid development of the sub-regional cooperation.

WANG YI CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER "China and the Mekong countries share similar geographical and cultural features. We also have economic complementarity and share the same destiny. With the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism in place, we need to transform these advantages and potential into momentum for development."

At this meeting, ministers from the six countries identified key areas for cooperation, including connectivity, industry capacity, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction.

PRAK SOKHON CAMBODIAN FOREIGN MINISTER "By strengthening our quality capacity to form production. We need to accelerate financing a major project to build a comprehensive connectivity network of highway, railway, waterway, ports and air routes in the Lancang-Mekong Region."

MENG QINGSHENG DALI CITY, YUNNAN "Since its official launch in March, 2016, the Lancang-Mekong cooperation 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."

Minister Wang Yi highlighted a Five Year Action Plan starting from 2018 designed to guide Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.

WANG YI CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER "The Foreign Ministers approved a Joint Press Communique, and announced the list of the implemented projects in 2017. We agreed to establish a cooperation hotline information platform. We also agreed to make concerted efforts, and help the Lancang-Mekong cooperation evolve from its nurturing period into the growing period.

As part of the event, the foreign Ministers launched the official website of the LMC China Secretariat. They called for efforts to advance economic and social development, and implement the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. They also pledged to narrow the development gap, and support ASEAN community building. Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Yunan