Laos

The signing ceremony for the new batch of Laos projects of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund was held in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the 15th. Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong and Lao Vice Foreign Minister Thong Phan signed on behalf of both parties.

    Jiang Zaidong said that the Lancang-Mekong cooperation adheres to the "project-oriented" concept. On the basis that the first 13 fund projects have been launched, the Lao side has approved 21 projects declared by 7 ministries and commissions. This is under the Lancang-Mekong cooperation framework. Another important achievement of China-Laos cooperation. The Chinese side is willing to work with Laos to do a good job of implementation, give full play to its due benefits and create a model for cooperation.

    Jiang Zaidong said that the Lancang-Mekong cooperation upholds the spirit of "openness and inclusiveness", and the six countries will jointly build river basin economic development belts, promote high-quality production capacity cooperation, cultivate innovative growth points, further strengthen partnerships, achieve sustainable development, and promote prosperity in the region. .

    Tongpan said that the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism has achieved fruitful results and has continued to deepen and become solid. With the support of the Lancang-Mekong Special Fund, Laos has obtained tangible benefits in the fields of human resource development, production capacity cooperation, infrastructure construction, health, agriculture and poverty alleviation.

    The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a new sub-regional cooperation mechanism jointly created by China, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam along the Lancang-Mekong River. At the first Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting in March 2016, China proposed to establish a special fund for Lancang-Mekong cooperation, providing US$300 million in five years to support small and medium-sized cooperation projects proposed by the six countries.