On 15 December 2017, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, attended the 3rd Mekong - Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Dali, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China together with the foreign ministers of all the Member States, namely Cambodia, Laos PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and H.E. Mr. Prak Sokhon, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia.

 

The meeting endorsed the Joint Press Communiqué of the 3rd MLC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as well as reviewed various details in preparation for the 2nd MLC Summit which will be hosted by Cambodia on 10 January 2018 in Phnom Penh. It also considered the draft Five-Year Plan of Action on Mekong – Lancang Cooperation 2018 – 2022 and took note of the Phnom Penh Declaration which are to be proposed for endorsement in the upcoming Summit.

 

Moreover, the meeting noted the approval of projects to be sponsored by the MLC Special Fund. Five projects proposed by Thailand were approved at the meeting, including projects related to economics and trade and water resource management. Prior to the opening of the meeting, the participating ministers jointly launched the official website of the MLC China Secretariat, and visited the MLC photo exhibition which displayed activities and progress under the MLC since its inception at the 1st Senior Officials’ Meeting in 2015.

 

During the course of the visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand had a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and discussed issues of mutual interest including bilateral relations and economic cooperation such as the synergizing of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Thailand 4.0 and Eastern Economic Corridor, as well as how to enhance cooperation under the MLC to generate tangible outcomes. 

 

Thailand’s participation in the meeting represents its continued commitment as a co-founder of the MLC along with China in 2015. It also emphasizes that Thailand attaches importance to the MLC with the main purpose of the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region and reducing development disparity among Member States, which will promote better livelihood, peace, and prosperity among the people of the region. The MLC’s goals are also consistent with Thailand’s economic development policies such as Thailand 4.0, connectivity, promoting development in neighboring countries, as well as building a stronger ASEAN community.