Joint Press Communiqué of the Ninth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation

Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Chiang Mai, Thailand, 16th August 2024

1. The Ninth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Chiang Mai, the Kingdom of Thailand. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. Eksiri Pintaruchi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand and H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Sok Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, H.E. U Than Swe, Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and H.E. Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam attended the meeting.

2. The Heads of Delegations reviewed the implementation of the outcomes of the Fourth LMC Leaders' Meeting and the Eighth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting and commended the Progress Report of the Year 2023 on Implementing the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2023-2027). They agreed that the LMC must keep the momentum of the rapid development while deepening practical cooperation across the board, growing mutual trust among the six countries, broadening common interests, further strengthening good-neighborliness, and jointly building a Community of Shared Future of Peace and Prosperity among Lancang-Mekong Countries.

3. The Heads of Delegations expressed appreciation for the LMC Special Fund, which has supported hundreds of projects initiated by the six countries in areas including water resources, agriculture, education, poverty reduction, health, women empowerment, environment, press and media, and other fields. They praised the efforts and efficiency of the six countries to implement the above-mentioned projects. They welcomed the announcement of the List of Projects supported by LMC Special Fund 2024.

4. The Heads of Delegations recalled the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, and reaffirmed the LMC's principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, respect for and compliance with the United Nations Charter and international laws as well as ASEAN Charter, domestic laws and regulations of member countries. They emphasized the LMC's vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable peace, development and prosperity. They encouraged the  complementarity between the LMC and other international and regional initiatives and cooperation strategies, including China's Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, as well as the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plans, the Joint Development Plan between ACMECS and China, and other Mekong sub-regional cooperation frameworks to contribute to achieving this vision.  

5. The Heads of Delegations reiterated the importance of cooperation in combating transboundary crimes including terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, violence and trafficking in persons, money laundering, proliferation of terrorist financing, arms smuggling, international economic crimes, fake news, cybercrimes, online gambling, telecom fraud, telecom scams, online scams, illegal trafficking of hazardous and other wastes, including e-waste, and addressing other non-traditional security threats. They also agreed that the member countries would convene the LMC ministerial meeting on law enforcement and non-traditional security cooperation to achieve concrete cooperation in combating transboundary crimes by the end of 2024 or as soon as practicable.

6. The Heads of Delegations agreed to promote dialogue and exchanges among political parties and national legislative bodies, exchanges on governance, and to step up cooperation on non-traditional security issues on the basis of respecting the sovereignty of each country, through enhancing news and information exchanges, sharing best practices and experiences in technical aspects, as well as coordinating responses in addressing the risks and challenges posed by transboundary crimes.

7. The Heads of Delegations stressed the need to promote closer cooperation and coordination of law enforcement agencies among the six member countries through, among others, the use of existing regional and international facilities and mechanisms, where applicable.

8. The Heads of Delegations agreed to strengthen cooperation on seismic risk reduction, protect regional infrastructure connectivity, promote cross-border innovative development of earthquake science, enhance seismic information sharing, deepen people-to-people exchange, and improve the capability of Lancang-Mekong countries in disaster prevention and emergency response to earthquakes, landslides, typhoons, flooding, and building collapses.

9. The Heads of Delegations welcomed the Joint Statement on the Lancang-Mekong Clean Air Initiative to promote the cooperation on clean air and jointly mitigate haze pollution in the sub-region to safeguard the health and well-being of our people. They also suggested that the member countries jointly mobilize financial, human and technological resources and carry out practical regional cooperation projects in this regard.

10. The Heads of Delegations agreed to continue implementing the Lancang-Mekong Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework (2023-2027) with a focus on promoting green and sustainable development. They emphasized the importance of addressing climate change, ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. They encouraged to promote its synergy with the environmental protection plan of the six countries and strengthening communication with other relevant sub-regional mechanisms to achieve these goals.

11. The Heads of Delegations welcomed the adoption of the Five-year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2023-2027) and commended the efforts of the six member countries in implementing this Five-year Action Plan, including jointly formulating proposals, expanding network of partners and mobilizing resources.

12. The Heads of Delegations appreciated the fruitful outcomes of the joint survey to the Lancang River source in Qinghai, China by the six member countries, and expected the upcoming joint survey to the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River Delta, to enhance the understanding of the water resources status and conditions of Lancang-Mekong River Basin for more coordinated action to address basin-wide water challenges.

13. The Heads of Delegations stressed the key and fundamental role of water resources cooperation in building climate resilience and ensuring flood and drought prevention and management, sustainable and effective use and management of water resources, food and energy security, water supply, ecological and environmental protection, supporting sustainable socio-economic development and serving people's livelihood. They highlighted the significance of more effective and substantive policy dialogues, joint research, capacity building and technical exchanges, raising public awareness, and supported the six countries to carry out pragmatic projects benefiting the people in drinking water safety, water-saving irrigation, hydrological information and data, water-related data and information sharing and monitoring, disaster risk reduction and emergency response, dam safety, capacity building, personnel training, and whole basin management, to promote regional green, inclusive, resilient, sustainable and high quality development. They expected Viet Nam to timely host the 2nd Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Ministerial Meeting, and China to host the 4th Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum next year. They also welcomed deepening the cooperative relationship between the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS).

14. The Heads of Delegations agreed to deepen economic cooperation on the key elements conducive to economic resilience and sustainability, and regional prosperity, including but not limited to cross-border economic cooperation, supply chain connectivity and cross-border trade facilitation. They also emphasized the importance of strengthening standardization and conformity assessment cooperation for trade facilitation. They stressed the need to further deepen cooperation across various fields, work hand in hand to promote green, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

15. The Heads of Delegations welcomed the adoption of the Five-Year Development Plan for LMC Cross-Border Economic Cooperation and agreed to effectively implement the ASEAN - China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), and make good use of the ACFTA once upgraded to maximize the volume of trade and investment, promote the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), further enhance the liberalization and facilitation of regional trade and investment and reduce non-tariff trade barriers. They also agreed to raise the awareness and application of free trade agreements among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), enhance the interoperability of rules and regulations, improve the business-friendly ecosystem and continuously enhance the level of regional economic integration.

16. The Heads of Delegations appreciated the positive progress made in Lancang-Mekong production capacity cooperation. They urged all sides to work together to implement the Three-Year Plan of Action on LMC Production Capacity Cooperation among the Lancang-Mekong Countries (2024-2026), further tap into existing potential and promote high-quality development of Lancang-Mekong production capacity by all means.

17. The Heads of Delegations called on the relevant authorities in charge of connectivity cooperation of the six countries to formulate the Plan on Connectivity Cooperation among Lancang-Mekong Countries，step up cooperation in physical connectivity and deepen investment cooperation in infrastructure projects to promote seamless connectivity in the sub-region and expand the sub-regional connectivity network to the broader region. They supported the relevant authorities of the six countries to build on the connectivity networks under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt to link with the sub-regional transport and logistic networks.

18. The Heads of Delegations agreed to enhance the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027) by the agricultural authorities of the six countries and highly praised the steady and efficient implementation of the LMC Bumper Harvest Projects, which had made positive contributions to improving the agricultural and rural development of the member countries. They encouraged further improvement of the LMC Joint Working Group on Agriculture, giving full play to the Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation Center. They agreed to support green and sustainable development of agriculture, promote revitalization of rural regions and agriculture, enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products, develop smart/digital agriculture, foster resilience of agricultural production systems, strengthen the capacity building of MSMEs and entrepreneurs in agri-business to improve their participation in the agricultural value chain, and promote youth participation as well as employment in agricultural and rural fields.

 19. The Heads of Delegations agreed to continue implementing the Guideline of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation on Poverty Reduction (2023-2027) and to enhance the well-being of people of the six countries, narrow the development gap, promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strive to build a partnership for poverty reduction and development in the Lancang-Mekong region, and promote the construction of a community of shared future in the Lancang-Mekong region.

20. The Heads of Delegations agreed to enhance and fully leverage the mechanisms under the LMC Innovation Corridor including regular meetings, policy coordination and discussions on emerging technology trends, cooperation platforms and projects. They agreed to further leverage the role of scientific and technological innovation in the LMC, deepen scientific and technological innovation cooperation in areas such as health, digital economy and green development, and enhance international exchanges on innovation and entrepreneurship. They also agreed to fully implement the Action Plan for Enhancing Metrological Advancement and Mutual Recognition in Lancang-Mekong Countries (2023-2028). 

21. The Heads of Delegations emphasized the importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), welcomed China's Global AI Governance Initiative and appreciated China's efforts to enhance the rights of developing countries in global governance of AI, welcomed the unanimous adoption of the resolution "Strengthening International Cooperation in Capacity Building on Artificial Intelligence" at the UN General Assembly, and called on the international community to jointly promote its implementation to bridge the AI gap within and between countries. They also encouraged synergy between ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics and the Lancang-Mekong cooperation in this regard.

22. The Heads of Delegations stressed the need to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in AI development, information security, security and governance, especially cooperation in AI science and technology, and capacity building, so as to empower inclusive and sustainable development of the six countries.

23. The Heads of Delegations agreed to strengthen cooperation in civil aviation to further promote people-to-people exchanges, enhance capacity building, and improve air connectivity. They appreciated the fruitful outcomes of the Civil Aviation Cooperation Initiative (CACI) project, which has made positive contributions towards deepening regional coordination and consensus-building across member countries.

They encouraged airlines from the six countries to launch or add new routes and flights according to market demand, in order to better promote economy, trade, tourism and facilitate regional economic recovery.

24. The Heads of Delegations agreed to strengthen cooperation on tourism and civil aviation to further promote the sustainable recovery and development of the tourism industry. They supported the advancement of the Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance and agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a management body for the Alliance.  They encouraged the exchange of best practices among the member countries on smart tourism. 

The Heads of Delegations further reiterated the important role of tourism in promoting closer people-to-people connectivity among the Lancang-Mekong countries, aiming at doubling the number of intra-LMC tourists in the next two years to the number in the pre-COVID period, and recommended the synergy of the implementation of tourism related activities with other sub-regional cooperation.

25. The Heads of Delegations supported greater cooperation on people-to-people exchanges through food, film, TV/Radio content and production, fashion, festival, inter-religion dialogue and harmony, and other social and cultural youth activities. They also applauded the annual celebration of the LMC Week in the six member countries in order to raise awareness on the LMC and strengthen mutual understanding among the peoples of LMC member countries. They encouraged the related authorities of the LMC member countries to jointly promote cultural and festival activities.

26. The Heads of Delegations reaffirmed that the LMC will continue to benefit the people and advance local government cooperation. They encouraged further cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, women, youth, community development, labour migrants, healthy and active aging, and people with disability in order to cultivate more grassroots support for the LMC.

27. The Heads of Delegations reaffirmed their continuous efforts for increased synergy and coordinated development between the LMC and other regional and sub-regional cooperation frameworks, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation (GMS), the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC). They welcomed international organizations and institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to actively participate in the LMC and jointly promote the process of regional economic integration.

28. The Heads of Delegations congratulate the LMC joint working groups in various priority areas, cooperation centers, the LMC National Secretariats/Coordination Units of the six member countries for their relentless work in preparation for the successful conclusion of the Ninth Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the spirit of friendship, openness and inclusiveness. They noted that with continuous development of the LMC, it is necessary to actively and carefully study the possibility of setting up the LMC Secretariat upon consensus.

29.The Heads of Delegations expressed their appreciation to the Kingdom of Thailand for the excellent arrangements of the Meeting.

30.The Tenth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in China in 2025 and co-chaired by China and Thailand. The dates and venue will be decided in due course by the Co-Chairs.