Fruitful results for South East Asian nations and China since 2016 agreement

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism has yielded fruitful results since it was established in 2016 by Lancang-Mekong countries, an official with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Counselor Li Xin of the ministry's Asian Department made the remarks at the 2024 LMC Week Activities on Water Resources in Beijing on Friday.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway that also stretches across Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The six countries are often referred to as Lancang-Mekong countries.

"Over the past eight years, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has grown from a budding initiative to a thriving mechanism, and is now a golden example of regional cooperation," the official said.

China's trade volume with Mekong countries has doubled to nearly $400 billion compared to that of eight years ago, she noted.

The six countries have seen their cooperation in areas like agriculture, trade and investment further deepened, she stated. Over 700 projects supported by the LMC Special Fund have been carried out, bringing tangible benefits to regional economic development and people's well-being.

China initiated the LMC Special Fund in 2016 with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized cooperation projects put forward by LMC countries.

With over 80 events to be held across the Lancang-Mekong region during LMC Week this year, she said she believes "the spirit of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation will become more deeply ingrained in people's minds."

Li has especially highlighted the great achievements the six countries have made in water resources cooperation.

To better tackle climate change and natural disasters in the river basin, China has shared year-round hydrological data with Mekong countries, she said.

She said China is willing to make joint efforts with Mekong countries to further enhance cooperation in sustainable development and utilization of water resources, flood mitigation and prevention, and capacity building on water resource management.