Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds hands with Ministers of the 5 Lancang-Mekong River Nations that include Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to show their support and cooperation. (Photo : www.cctvpic.com)
The Chinese government has pledged to strengthen cooperation with the five countries along the Lancang-Mekong River--namely, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam--for the realization of China’s "One Belt and One Road" initiative.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made this announcement during the first Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting held in Beijing on April 6, Monday. The meeting was attended by the senior officials of the five countries.
According to a report by english.cri.cn, China has promised to build "a community of shared destiny" with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam as a very important platform to implement the country's One Belt, One Road initiative.
"Its best advantage is that it can help countries in the Indo-China Peninsula develop fast, which will also be good for ASEAN's development. Actually the area is included in the 'One Belt and One Road', and this mechanism is one part of the combination of 'One Belt and One Road' and local development strategies," the Chinese minister was quoted as saying.
It was the decision of the Chinese foreign minister and representatives of the five countries to hold the first foreign ministers' meeting in Beijing this year.
The "One Belt, One Road" initiative is the centerpiece of President Xi Jinping's foreign policy and economic strategy which aims to build a network of infrastructure projects and promote enhanced policy coordination in the Asian continent through trade liberalization, financial integration and people-to-people connectivity.
The Lancang-Mekong River traverses China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, covering an area with a total population of more than 320 million people. Trading among the six countries exceeded $150 billion in 2013, the report said.
