Joint Press Communiqué of the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting

, November 12, 2015
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12 November 12, 2015 Jinghong, Yunnan, China

1. The First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Jing Hong City, Yunan Province of China on 12 November 2015. H.E. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, H.E. U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and H.E. Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam attended the meeting. The Ministers had an in-depth exchange of views on promoting cooperation under the framework of the LMC and reached extensive consensus.

2. The Ministers noted that the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River are closely linked geographically, socially and culturally and are endowed with abundant natural and human resources with huge potentials for development and immense prospects for cooperation. Closer cooperation among the six countries will help promote economic and social development, enhance sustainable development, narrow development gaps among countries in the Mekong sub-region which will contribute to ASEAN community building and regional integration and enhance the well-being of the people in this region.

3. The Ministers noted with satisfaction that, as a follow-up to the initiative put forward at the 17th China-ASEAN Summit, the First and Second LMC Senior Officials' Meetings were held in April and August 2015 respectively with fruitful discussions on establishing the LMC framework.

4. The Ministers expressed commitment to deepening mutual trust and good-neighborliness, promoting economic and sustainable development, and advancing social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, including expanding trade and investment, improving connectivity and enhancing water resources cooperation of the sub-region and developing the LMC framework into a platform of sub-regional cooperation featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits based on the principles of consensus, equality, coordination, mutual benefits, and respect for the United Nations Charter and international laws.

5. The Ministers agreed that LMC will adhere to the spirit of openness and inclusiveness and complement and work in tandem with other sub-regional frameworks such as the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program, ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to jointly promote regional integration process.

6. The Ministers welcomed the LMC Concept Paper and decided to carry out practical cooperation in the three priority areas, namely, (1) Political and Security Issues, (2) Economic and Sustainable Development, and (3) Social, Cultural, and People-to-People Exchanges, so as to build a closer Lancang-Mekong Community of mutually beneficial cooperation.

7. The Ministers suggested the establishment of a multi-layer LMC structure in the future and suggested that the First LMC Leaders' meeting be held in 2016 at an appropriate time as will be agreed upon by the six LMC countries.

8. The Ministers discussed the LMC Early Harvest Projects proposed by China and the Mekong countries, which covers cooperation projects in such areas as water resources management, poverty alleviation, public health, infrastructure, science and technology and personnel exchanges and expected to see an early implementation of these projects so as to deliver benefits to the people in the region.

9. The Ministers agreed that projects within the LMC framework and their funding shall be agreed upon by the Governments concerned through consultation, without prejudice to support by other financial mechanisms and international institutions.

10. The Ministers were pleased with the launching of the LMC framework. Mekong countries' Ministers expressed their sincere thanks to the People's Republic of China for the warm hospitality extended to the Mekong countries' delegations and for the excellent arrangements for the Meeting.