Wang Yi will chair the 11th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

China News Service, Beijing, November 2 (Reporter Huang Yuqin) A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on November 2 that Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, will chair the 11th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing from November 3 to 4.

At a regular press conference held that day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the first Lancang-Mekong Cooperation leaders’ meeting. Over the past 10 years, with the joint efforts of all countries in the basin, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has continued to grow and become a "golden model" of regional cooperation with the most vitality and potential.

Mao Ning said that the construction of a bilateral and multilateral community of a shared future between China and the five Mekong countries has been deepened and solid, and the trade volume has exceeded 500 billion US dollars, an increase of 150% compared with 10 years ago. The construction of the Lancang-Mekong economic development belt has achieved fruitful results, the innovation corridor has become a new highlight, and regional power interconnection has been accelerated. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund has supported more than 1,000 "small but beautiful" projects, the "Operation Sweet Spring" and the "Agricultural Cooperation Hundreds and Thousands Action Plan" have been implemented, and the "Lancang-Mekong Visa" has made exchanges between people of the six countries more convenient.

Mao Ning pointed out that as the century-old changes in the world accelerate, the role of Lancang-Mekong cooperation in promoting open development and maintaining peace and tranquility has become increasingly prominent. China hopes that through this foreign ministers' meeting, it will work with the five Mekong countries to summarize cooperation experience and plan the next direction, focusing on discussing the new blueprint of "Lancang-Mekong Cooperation 2.0", exploring new mechanisms for open cooperation, creating new platforms for innovative industries, promoting new results in law enforcement and security cooperation, and injecting strong impetus into building a community of a shared future for Lancang-Mekong countries oriented towards peace, prosperity and sustainable development.