On November 17, China and Thailand signed an agreement on 2020 agricultural project cooperation, which was supported by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund. As part of this cooperation, China will support Thailand in conducting four projects dealing with food safety, pest and disease control, soil management and the promotion of sustainable agricultural systems, respectively.
The LMC is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism serving the common needs of the six countries along the Mekong River, including China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Cooperation on agriculture has been deemed as one of the key priority areas in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism. China initiated the LMC Special Fund with the aim of supporting the small and medium-sized cooperation projects put forward by the six Lancang-Mekong countries. In the past two years, it has supported nine agricultural cooperation projects led by Thailand with a total funding value of nearly 2.2 million U.S. dollars.
These projects will mainly benefit Thailand's grass-root farmers and enable Thailand to contribute its advanced experience in agricultural production to help neighboring countries. The projects are expected to resolve agricultural development issues faced by Lancang-Mekong countries and enhance the people’s ability to cope with climate change while enhancing the global competitiveness of agricultural production in the Lancang-Mekong region.