On 23 December 2016, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, attended the 2^nd Mekong – Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia and H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and joined by H.E. Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR, H.E. U Kyaw Tin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, and H.E. Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.

          The Ministers reviewed the rapid progress of the MLC and discussed future directions of cooperation among Member Countries, particularly regarding the establishment of joint working groups in 6 priority areas (water resource cooperation, cross-border economic cooperation, agriculture, poverty reduction, connectivity, and production capacity cooperation).  By the 2^nd MLC Leaders’ Meeting in early 2018, completion or substantial progress of the implementation of relevant early harvest projects is expected, as well as the MLC 5-year action plan and the 2^nd batch of cooperation projects.  In addition, the Meeting agreed to establish national coordination mechanisms within the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in accordance with domestic requirements.

          At the Meeting, Thailand proposed areas on which emphasis should be placed aligning with national strategic plan, such as water resource management, digital connectivity, sub-regional supply and value chain enhancement, Mekong branding, STI for human resource development and entrepreneurship, development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), environmental awareness raising and Greening SMEs.  Thailand also supported Viet Nam’s new initiative of setting up a hotline for urgent water-related coordination, which is to be further discussed by all Member Countries.

          The Meeting issued 3 endorsed outcome documents: Joint Press Communiqué, General Principles for the Establishment of the Joint Working Groups on the MLC Key Priority Areas, and Matrix of Follow-ups to the Outcomes of the 1^st MLC Leaders’ Meeting.

          Prior to the Ministerial Meeting, the 4^th MLC Senior Officials’ Meeting and the Joint Working Groups Meetings were held.  Thai representatives from the Department of Water Resources, Community Development Department, Department of Trade Negotiations and Department of Foreign Trade participated in all Meetings.

          A good example of the South-South cooperation (among developing countries), the MLC aims to achieve sustainable development, narrow developmental gaps and strengthen the ASEAN Community.  Result-driven, this platform strives to complement and add value to the efforts in other existing frameworks.

          After the MLC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Wang Yi wherein the Chinese side expressed their condolences for the passing of His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and their congratulations on the accession to the throne of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn.  The 2 Foreign Ministers discussed various topics, from high-level visits to the implementation of MLC projects, and to ASEAN-China relations wherein China thanked Thailand for its constructive role.