On December 7, 2023, the eighth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Beijing, After the meeting, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe jointly met the press.

Wang Yi said, the eighth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting was successfully held today. Focusing on the theme of "Jointly Strive for Modernization and Cultivate New Strength in Subregional Development", the six foreign ministers planned for the development priorities in the next stage, made preparations and built up consensus for the fourth LMC Leaders' Meeting. The six foreign ministers agreed that with a good start, rapid growth and extensive benefits, LMC has achieved the goal of making progress daily, delivering results monthly and reaching new heights annually. People in the countries in the basin have truly felt the dividends of LMC, and the building of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Economic Development Belt has constantly yielded fruitful results. As a new type of sub-regional cooperation mechanism, LMC has continuously grown stronger and become a new, important platform for mutually beneficial cooperation in the region.

Wang Yi said that in the face of a more unstable and uncertain world, Lancang-Mekong countries must be more united, jointly cope with challenges, carry forward the Lancang-Mekong spirit of development first, equal consultation, practicality and high efficiency, and openness and inclusiveness, and maintain peace and stability and promote development and prosperity of the Lancang-Mekong subregion. At present, the Lancang-Mekong countries are at an important juncture of accelerating development and striving for modernization. All parties agreed to focus on the six priority areas:

First, build a closer community with a shared future. The six countries need to enhance high-level exchanges to provide strategic guidance for LMC; they need to synergize development strategies to develop the big Lancang-Mekong market; they need to put the people at the center of their work and bring the benefit of cooperation to their people.

Second, build a more inter-connected economic development belt. The six countries need to fully improve infrastructure connectivity, expand trade and investment and improve the network of industrial and supply chains; they also need to carry out closer cooperation on cross-border special economic zones, hold the forum for young entrepreneurs of Lancang-Mekong countries, and jointly build an agricultural modernization demonstration zone. A special loan on LMC for common development needs to be set up to boost the inter-connected development of the six countries.

Third, foster a more secure development environment. The six countries need to take security cooperation as a key cooperation area for the next stage, adopt the Operation of "The Safety of the Lancang-Mekong Region" at an early date, combat sub-regional cross-border crimes, especially telecom fraud and online gambling, and eradicate the security problems jeopardizing people's security and disrupting development. China supports Viet Nam in making the second Ministerial Meeting of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation a success and is ready to jointly strengthen cooperation on meteorological disaster prevention and reduction and promote rational and sustainable utilization of water resources.

Fourth, move towards a more digital development prospect. Sci-tech authorities of the six countries are discussing the establishment of a sub-regional innovation corridor, and China is ready to carry out more cooperation on digital economy and innovation within the framework of such corridor. In accordance with the spirit of the Global AI Governance Initiative, China and the five Mekong countries will actively explore cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. The six countries will accelerate the implementation of the Lancang-Mekong Space Cooperation Plan and jointly develop satellites with Mekong countries to serve the actual needs of agriculture and forestry resources protection and disaster prevention and reduction.

Fifth, deepen people-to-people and cultural cooperation with more distinctive features. The six countries will carry out diverse forms of people-to-people and cultural exchanges in tourism, sports, media, sub-national cooperation, universities, youth and other fields, so as to enhance the friendship and affinity of the six peoples. China has completed the preliminary preparations for the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance, and supports the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Aviation Development Cooperation Alliance. The six countries will also jointly hold events such as the Lancang-Mekong concerts for universities and youth to create opportunities for dialogue and exchange among the young generation.

Sixth, champion more inclusive cooperation. The six countries will not engage in exclusive cliques and are committed to the right direction of regional economic integration. They will vigorously promote the coordinated development of the LMC with the Greater Mekong Sub-Region economic cooperation, the Three River Basin Mechanism and the Mekong River Commission, and make the sub-region a harmonious home of openness, inclusiveness, exchanges and mutual learning.

Wang Yi emphasized that LMC is a cooperation mechanism featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits among the six countries. With the concerted efforts of all parties, LMC has shown bright prospects for development. This foreign ministers' meeting is efficient, pragmatic and productive, which has further strengthened the determination and confidence of the six countries to jointly build a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Mekong-Lancang countries. Looking ahead, the six countries will continue to move forward and jointly make the region an exemplar for Belt and Road cooperation, a pacesetter for implementing the Global Development Initiative, a pioneer in implementing the Global Security Initiative and a front-runner in implementing the Global Civilization Initiative. The six countries will build a more solid foundation for the LMC, enable it to move forward more steadily and make the pace more steady with broader prospects and bring more benefits to the people of countries in the basin.