Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a reception in Beijing celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting.
In his speech, Wang Yi stated that over the past ten years, the destinies of the Lancang-Mekong countries have become more closely linked, development momentum more abundant, security barriers more robust, and people-to-people exchanges more in-depth.
He said that the key to the vigorous development of Lancang-Mekong cooperation lies in always upholding good-neighborliness, friendship, and a shared future. In today's turbulent world, all parties need to strengthen strategic alignment, jointly build Lancang-Mekong Cooperation 2.0, and set a "Lancang-Mekong Model" for global governance.
Wang Yi also mentioned the goal of building a peaceful and secure Lancang-Mekong region, strengthening full-basin management cooperation, and intensifying efforts to combat cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud.
He said that ten years ago, Lancang-Mekong cooperation was officially launched, sowing the seeds of regional countries' unity, self-improvement, and win-win cooperation. Over the past decade, the destinies of the six Lancang-Mekong countries have become more closely intertwined, and they are walking forward hand in hand in the face of unprecedented changes. The trade volume between China and the five Mekong countries has exceeded 500 billion US dollars (1.96 trillion ringgit), an increase of 150% compared to ten years ago.
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, jointly initiated and established by China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, is a new type of sub-regional cooperation mechanism. It was launched in 2016 with the aim of deepening good-neighborly friendship and practical cooperation among the six Lancang-Mekong countries, promoting economic and social development of the riparian nations, building a community of shared destiny for the Lancang-Mekong countries, and jointly safeguarding and promoting sustained regional peace, development, and prosperity.