China, Mekong countries celebrate launch of LMC China Secretariat

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L, front) and Cambodian ambassador to China Khek Caimealy Sysoda (R, front) attend the launch ceremony of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) China Secretariat in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday lauded the efficiency of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism, calling on the six LMC countries to build a community of shared future.

Wang made the remarks at the launch ceremony of the LMC China Secretariat in Beijing.

The LMC members are China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The six countries along the Mekong River (the Chinese stretch of which is called the Lancang River) launched the LMC mechanism in 2015 and convened the first Leaders' Meeting in March 2016.

The LMC is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism serving the common needs of the six countries, and it is an important part of China's overall cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Wang.

The project-based LMC has emphasized efficiency and practical results, said Wang.

In less than a year, the LMC has made encouraging progress, he said.

As of November 2016, a leaders' meeting, foreign ministers' meeting and three senior officials' meetings had been held.

The meeting confirmed the "3+5" mechanism of cooperation, referring to the three cooperation pillars -- political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges -- and the five key priority areas of connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, and agriculture and poverty reduction, according to Wang.

Remarkable results have been achieved in implementing all 45 early harvest projects and establishing joint working groups on key priority areas, he added.

He said the establishment of the LMC China Secretariat again demonstrated China's determination to advance cooperation with the other five LMC nations.

China will speed up the establishment of joint working groups on key priority areas, try to conclude all 45 early harvest projects within the year and create an LMC five-year action plan to prepare for the third LMC foreign ministers' meeting and the second LMC Leaders' Meeting, said Wang.

He said the goal of the LMC is to create an LMC cooperation corridor and forge a community of shared future.