--In celebration of the Sixth Anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and the 2022 LMC Week

By H.E. Mr. HAN Zhiqiang 

This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) and this week from March 21 to 27 represents the fifth LMC Week. The past six years have witnessed China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam constantly deepen good neighborliness, advance pragmatic cooperation and improve people's well-being in the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. The LMC has increasingly become one of the most dynamic cooperative mechanisms in the sub-region.

Curretnly, despite the complex situations generated by a once-in-a-century pandemic and unprecedented profound changes, the LMC has demonstrated greater vigor and vitality. In jointly fighting the pandemic, China has provided more than 200 million doses of vaccines to and meanwhile also received support from and coordination with the five Mekong countries. In the pursuit of common development, the trade volume between China and the five Mekong countries increased by 23% in 2021 and reached US$398 billion. In strengthening connectivity, a series of high-quality infrastructure projects such as the China-Laos Railway and the new terminal of the Suvarnabhumi Airport have come into service. In protecting the environment, we have released the Joint Statement on Enhancing Sustainable Development Cooperation of the Lancang-Mekong Countries and are committed to accelerating the implementation the Green Lancang-Mekong Initiative.

Thailand, an original initiator of the LMC, has been actively supporting and participating in relevant LMC activities and events, making great contributions to the development of the LMC and also benefiting from the LMC. Thailand has been actively taking use of the LMC Special Fund, with more than 40 projects approved up to now which cover a wide range of fields that promote the sub-regional development and improve the people’s livelihood such as water resources, cross-border trade, agriculture, poverty reduction, health, and environmental protection. Among them, the Novel Approaches for Sustainable Aquaculture in Mekong Delta River and the Improvement of Potentials of Maternity Healthcare Personals Working in Minority Communities have exhibited extraordinary effects, constantly bringing benefits to all the peoples in the basin, including the Thai people.

This year, the Fourth LMC Leaders' Meeting will be held and Thailand will take over the LMC co-host chairmanship, which will definitely usher in new opportunities for deepened bilateral cooperation between China and Thailand within the LMC framework. China is willing to continue to join hands with all walks of life of Thailand to bolster good neighborliness, friendship and pragmatic cooperation, foster a community with a shared future of the Lancang-Mekong Countries, and contribute to greater prosperity of the region and wellbeing of the people.