The Seventh Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Bagan, Myanmar on 4 July 2022. We, the Foreign Ministers of the six Mekong-Lancang countries, recalling the consensus reached at the Third MLC Leaders’ Meeting on deepening cooperation in culture, arts and tourism, expressed support for deeper exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and stated the following:

We share the view that the geographic proximity and cultural affinity of the Mekong-Lancang countries have fostered a long history of people-to-people exchanges and mutual learnings. The Culture and Tourism Ministries/Authorities of the six countries have kept close cooperation. In particular, against the backdrop of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the six countries have supported each other and engaged in active communication to share experience in facilitating the recovery of the cultural and tourism sectors and explore measures to promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning, setting a fine example for international cooperation.

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered people-to-people exchanges among the Mekong-Lancang countries. To reinvigorate and further promote people-to-people exchanges among the six countries, we support our Culture and Tourism Ministries/Authorities to enhance cooperation in the following areas:

1. Stay in close touch and promote various forms of people-to-people exchanges, considering that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is a key driving force for human progress as well as peace and development of the world.

2. Support each other in participating in the international art festivals held in the region and encourage exchanges and dialogue among mainstream cultural institutions and celebrities, in order to present the unique Asian culture to the world.

3. Welcome the initiative on the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan proposed by China, and encourage member countries to share experience and good practices on cruise tourism, rural tourism, smart tourism, sustainable tourism, ecotourism, agri-tourism, sport tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, gastronomy and community-based tourism, and climate change adaptation and mitigation in the tourism sector, including promoting carbon neutral tourism. Support the development of the Mekong-Lancang Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance and will jointly build, brand and promote Mekong-Lancang Tourism.

4. Acknowledge that cultural heritage is a treasure of human civilization and encourage the six countries to hold thematic dialogues on world cultural heritage and the protection of cultural relics.

5. Encourage joint training programs and strengthen dialogue and exchanges among the peoples of the Mekong-Lancang countries, including new generation leaders in the fields of culture and tourism.

6. Encourage experience-sharing among stakeholders in the six countries on developing the cultural and tourism sectors, so as to provide more useful experience for post-pandemic recovery in the Mekong-Lancang region.

7. Actively engage Mekong-Lancang youths in Tourism development, and digitalization through diverse platform such as the promotion through a web portal of Mekong-Lancang Youth Tourism Ambassadors which will be set up  by Cambodia to further involve youth in tourism development as youth’s empowerment is a long-term strategy of promoting people-to-people exchange in the MLC region.

We firmly believe that solidarity and cooperation will help overcome economic, social and cultural challenges which have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to more fruitful outcomes from people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning among Mekong-Lancang countries!