Siem Reap, Cambodia, 23 December 2016
1. The Second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 23 December 2016. H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, H.E. U Kyaw Tin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, and H.E. Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam attended the meeting. The Cambodian and the Chinese Foreign Ministers co-chaired the meeting.
2. The Ministers had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad consensus on implementing the outcomes of the First LMC Leaders' Meeting and pushing forward the LMC.
3. The Ministers highly appreciated the successful convening of the First LMC Leaders' Meeting in Sanya, Hainan Province of China on 23 March 2016, which officially launched the LMC mechanism, achieved a series of important outcomes and put forward many cooperation initiatives. The meeting issued the Sanya Declaration and the Joint Statement on Production Capacity Cooperation Among Lancang-Mekong Countries, and endorsed the Joint List of the LMC Early Harvest Projects, laying a solid foundation and charting the course for LMC development.
4. The Ministers noted with pleasure that, according to the consensus reached at the First LMC Leaders' Meeting, a multi-layered and multi-domain framework structure including Leaders' Meeting, Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Senior Officials' Meeting and Working Groups Meeting had been established; a 3+5 cooperation framework based on the three pillars of the LMC and its five key priority areas had been put in place, featuring adherence to the coordinated development of the three pillars, namely, political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, with practical cooperation carried out in five key priority areas which are connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction.
5. The Ministers, noting with satisfaction that the LMC is in action, welcomed the remarkable progress made in implementing the outcomes reached at the First LMC Leaders' Meeting as well as in strengthening cooperation in various sectors. The Ministers reviewed and endorsed the Matrix of Follow-ups to the Outcomes of the First LMC Leaders' Meeting.
6. The Ministers noted that the process of establishing Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on the key priority areas of connectivity, production capacity, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction had been started.
7. The Ministers noted with pleasure that the Early Harvest Projects were being actively implemented, part of which had been completed, and some exchanges and cooperation projects in other areas had also been carried out and achieved positive outcome. This fully demonstrates the pragmatism and efficiency of the LMC.
8. The Ministers highly appreciated China's proposal of establishing an LMC Special Fund and its provision of other financial arrangements, welcomed the launch of the LMC Special Fund application process, and looked forward to a positive role by the Fund in promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation to the benefit of the peoples of the six countries.
9. The Ministers agreed to strengthen the top-down decision-making model and long-term planning of the LMC and tasked the SOM and working groups to explore the formulation of a Five-Year LMC Action Plan, so as to maintain the sustainable development and vigorous vitality of the LMC.
10. The Ministers called for strengthening LMC institutional building and emphasizing the need for the coordinating and guiding role of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. They agreed to establish a coordination unit/national secretariat within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or as appropriate to each country to effectively coordinate cooperation in all areas, with a view to following up on the implementation of projects and ensure the continual growth of the LMC.
11. The Ministers reviewed and endorsed the General Principles for the Establishment of the Joint Working Groups on the LMC Key Priority Areas to standardize the purpose, composition, scope of work, meeting model and line of report of the JWGs, and looked forward to the early establishment and operation of the JWGs by relevant line agencies in charge of the key priority areas in the six countries with reference to the above-mentioned principles.
12. The Ministers encouraged the line agencies of each country to strengthen communication, coordination and consultation, implement the Early Harvest Projects for the benefit of the people, and launch collection of the second batch of Cooperation Projects, which shall be in line with the Principles for Selecting the Cooperation Projects, in due course.
13. The Ministers, recalling the MLC principles of consensus, equality, mutual consultation and coordination, voluntarism, common contribution and shared benefits, and respect for the United Nations Charter and international laws, reiterated that the LMC should follow the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, tally with the priority areas of ASEAN Community building and ASEAN-China cooperation, and complement and develop in synergy with existing Mekong River sub-regional cooperation mechanisms.
14. The Ministers stressed all sides should further promote the implementation of the outcomes of the First LMC Leaders' Meeting and work toward a community of shared future of peace and prosperity under the framework featuring leaders' guidance, all-round cooperation and broad participation and by following a government-guided, multiple-participation, and project-oriented model.
15. The Ministers thanked the host country Cambodia for the hospitality extended to all delegations and the thoughtful arrangements made for this meeting.
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