This year marks the 7th anniversary of the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. As a new sub-regional cooperation mechanism jointly established by riparian countries of China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has developed rapidly and achieved remarkable results in the past seven years, making it a veritable “golden example” of regional cooperation. Upholding the Lancang-Mekong concept of "development first, equality, practicality and efficiency, openness and inclusiveness", the six member countries have remained committed to seeking development, promoting cooperation, improving people's livelihood, and taking action, stood in solidarity against the test of COVID-19 and made positive contributions to promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Over the past seven years, the six member countries have worked together to make the area a land of robust growth for development and jointly advanced the high quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2022, bucking the impact of the pandemic, China's trade with the other five member countries reached US$416.7 billion. The China-Laos Railway successfully opened to traffic, transporting 417,300 passengers and 647,700 tons of goods in January-February 2023 only, a year-on-year increase of 256.2% and 320% respectively and continuously improving regional connectivity. The six member countries have worked together to forge a land of security and firmly maintained regional stability. All parties have worked together to address the threats and challenges to traditional and non-traditional security in the Lancang-Mekong Sub-region, maintain the security of  regional industrial chain, finance and energy, create a big market of the Lancang-Mekong River area with extensive participation and shared benefits, and promote the pilot area of the Global Security Initiative. The six member countries have worked together to make the region a place where people can live a safe and happy life and continued to share the dividends of this cooperation. Six major plans benefiting the Mekong countries have been launched to deepen agricultural cooperation, public health, poverty reduction and disaster alleviation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including the" Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation", the " Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Benefitting the People", the "Lancang-Mekong Talent Plan" and the "Lancang-Mekong Public Health Cooperation Plan", bringing tangible benefits to the people of the six member countries.

Thailand is the main initiator of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism and is set to take over as a Co-chair this year, playing an increasingly prominent role as a partner within the mechanism. Thailand has actively participated in the use of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund. So far, 59 projects of Thailand have been approved, getting more than US$16 million from the budget support. The fund has promoted the implementation of a large number of high quality, "small yet beautiful" projects that benefit people’s livelihood, covering areas of water resources, cross-border trade, poverty reduction through agriculture, health and environmental protection, youth development, and has made important contributions to the improvement of Thai people's livelihood and economic and social development.

President Xi Jinping's successful visit to Thailand last year pointed out the way forward for the future development of the bilateral relations, and also injected strong impetus into the deep and solid development of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. Guided by the important consensus of the two leaders, China and Thailand need to speed up the building of a community with a shared future for the two countries and jointly advance the high quality building of the Belt and Road Initiative. Along with cooperation in traditional fields, we need to comprehensively deepen practical cooperation in various fields with an eye to expand cooperation in digital economy, green economy, and the new energy industry etc.. China has advanced technology and advantageous production capacity in industries such as intelligent manufacturing, 5G technology, e-commerce, electric vehicles and photo-voltaic products. China-Thailand cooperation will help promote the economic development of Thailand, and it has the potential to become a new highlight and growth driver of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.

At present, China is marching with confidence on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, striving toward the second centenary goal, and making strides in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. China will firmly adhere to the basic national policy and the win-win strategy of opening up, promote high-quality development and foster a new development paradigm.With the well-being of the people of the six member countries in mind, China stands ready to work with the other Lancang-Mekong countries, including Thailand, to seek cooperation persistently, promote development wholeheartedly, build a more resilient Lancang-Mekong economic development belt and a closer Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future, and open a new chapter in Lancang-Mekong cooperation.