(VOVWORLD) - The third Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders’ Meeting on Monday reviewed the MLC mechanism and outlined orientations for future collaboration. The online meeting themed "Enhancing Partnership for Shared Prosperity" convened high-ranking leaders of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and China.
 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the online Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leader's Meeting. |
The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, initiated by Thailand in 2012, is one of 10 current cooperation mechanisms in the Mekong Sub-region. The MLC mechanism involves all 6 countries situated along the Mekong and Lancang rivers.
Overall situation, shared challenges
After reviewing past cooperation, particularly the MLC Action Program for 2018-2022, the leaders praised three key cooperation pillars: security-politics, economy-sustainable development, and cultural exchange.
Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son talked about the meeting’s outcomes. He said, “The leaders reviewed cooperation projects worth approximately 300 million USD, financed by the Mekong-Lancang Special Fund. The meeting’s cooperation orientations will focus on water resource management, agriculture, the export of agricultural products from Mekong countries to China, education, human resources, and tourism.”
Mekong-Lancang members will enhance medical cooperation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure stability for production and regional supply-demand chains, maintain economic growth, and promote sustainable development to contribute to the UN sustainable development goals until 2030. They will strengthen education cooperation and human resource transfer to the Mekong region.
The meeting discussed cooperation in water resource management and severe drought management in the river basin last year and this year and agreed to step up efforts to sustainably manage Mekong water.
Vietnam’s contributions to Mekong-Lancang Cooperation
As a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community, Vietnam has actively participated in and effectively contributed to the Mekong–Lancang Cooperation mechanism from its very beginning.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said: “Mekong leaders appreciate the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s initiatives on cooperation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation between hydrological data centers, and sharing of data on hydropower plant construction to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change.”
The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation has played an important role in water resource management and other areas. Sustaining cooperation has always been a challenge for the multi-lateral mechanism, which requires the efforts of all parties.
Vietnam has insisted that MLC should strengthen cooperation to make visible changes in key areas, particularly water resource security and sustainable and balanced development in each member country.