On December 7, 2023, the eighth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Beijing. The meeting was co-chaired by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe, and attended by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation SOK Chenda Sophea, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Laos' Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of the Party Central Committee Thongsavanh Phomvihane. Focusing on the theme of "Jointly Strive for Modernization and Cultivate New Strength in Subregional Development", the meeting took stock of the progress of LMC, mapped outplanned for the key work in the next stage, and made preparations and built up consensus for the fourth LMC Leaders' Meeting.
Wang Yi noted, enjoying geographical proximity and cultural affinity and drinking water from the same river, the six LMC countries are close as one family. With a good start, rapid growth and extensive benefits, LMC has been expanding in breadth and depth, injecting new vitality into sub-regional prosperity and development and delivering tangible benefits to sub-regional people. Since the last foreign ministers' meeting, relevant parties have acted in the Lancang-Mekong spirit of "development first, equal consultation, practicality and high efficiency, and openness and inclusiveness", taken steady steps to advance cooperation in various areas, achieved a series of new outcomes and created multiple new highlights. Under the high-level strategic guidance, LMC has been improved and upgraded. Joint working groups in six priority areas, namely connectivity, production capacity cooperation, cross-border economy, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction, are progressing in an orderly manner, and mechanisms such as cooperation centers on water resources, agriculture, environmental protection, and youth exchanges and the Global Center for Mekong River Studies are operating with high efficiency, making progress daily, delivering results monthly and reaching new heights annually. Economic and trade exchanges have accelerated across the board. China's trade with Mekong countries reached 416.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, doubling compared with seven years ago. Cross-border investment by companies from various countries has become more active, injecting impetus into and adding vitality to local economic development. People's well-being has continued to improve. A series of cooperation projects that benefit countries and the people, including the LMC Bumper Harvest Projects, the Lancang-Mekong Sweet Spring Action, and the Green Lancang-Mekong Initiative, have enabled the people in the basin to truly feel the dividends of LMC. People in the Lancang-Mekong region are close to each other with mutual understanding. All parties have continued to increase input in education, culture, women, poverty reduction, sports and other livelihood areas. People-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation have become more colorful, tightening the emotional bond among the people of the six countries and forging a strong sense of community with close bond as one family.
Wang Yi said, Lancang-Mekong countries are at an important juncture of striving for new development. China will resolutely follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy put forward by President Xi Jinping, work with Mekong countries to share development opportunities, meet risks and challenges together, build a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries, and jointly build an exemplar for Belt and Road cooperation, a pacesetter for implementing the Global Development Initiative, a pioneer in implementing the Global Security Initiative and a front-runner in implementing the Global Civilization Initiative.
Wang Yi suggested six priority areas for advancing LMC in the next stage. First, build a closer community with a shared future. Second, build a more inter-connected economic development belt. Third, foster a more secure development environment. Fourth, move towards a more digital development prospect. Fifth, deepen people-to-people and cultural cooperation with more distinctive features. Sixth, champion more inclusive cooperation. All parties should firmly grasp the overall direction of building a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries, unite and cooperate, press ahead with a pioneering spirit, foster new opportunities for common development through a new path to modernization, and draw a new picture of common prosperity through new accomplishments in modernization, so as to create a better future for the people of the Lancang-Mekong countries.
The foreign ministers spoke highly of the positive progress made in LMC and agreed that LMC has become an important platform for maintaining regional peace and stability, promoting regional development and prosperity, and boosting industrialization and modernization of various countries. All parties appreciated China's positive contribution to promoting LMC and agreed with China's proposal on the direction of work in the next stage. All parties agreed to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, uphold mutual trust and mutual respect, build a stronger Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Economic Development Belt, deepen cooperation in priority areas such as connectivity, further unleash development potential, jointly address global challenges, and jointly build an even closer Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.
The foreign ministers' meeting circulated the Progress Report for the Year 2022 on Implementing the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and the List of Projects Supported by LMC Special Fund of 2023.
