Asia leaders to cooperate on use of Lancang-mekong river

World Today

In Yunnan province in China’s southwest, foreign ministers from six countries met along the Lancang-Mekong river for the first time to frame a cooperation mechanism. They agreed to launch significant projects to enhance water resources, public health, poverty alleviation and infrastructure.

The Mekong river, known within China as the Lancang, rises on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and flows south through southeast Asia, emptying into the sea in southern Vietnam.

The six countries with access to the waterway are: China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Now these countries have a new relationship that has arisen from the prosperity this river can bring.

During the three-hour meeting, officials discussed the feasibility of over 70 projects, which they hope will bring substantial benefits to everyone in the region.

The mechanism was proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in November of last year, when he attended the 17th China-ASEAN leaders’ meeting in Myanmar.

CCTV’s Jie Bai reports.