Vietnam puts forward four proposals for cooperation between China and Mekong countries

Vietnam proposed that China and Mekong countries strengthen cooperation in green development and expand the scope of sharing hydrological data and dam operations at a conference held in China.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son speaks at the conference - Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to information from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on December 7, the 8th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting took place in Beijing, China with the participation of foreign ministers and representatives of MLC member countries including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Vietnam. At the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the meeting.

Prioritize innovation cooperation

At the conference, the ministers highly appreciated the important results that MLC cooperation has achieved in recent times, bringing practical benefits to the people of the six countries. In his opening speech, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that MLC is a mechanism that originates from and for the people and proposed that MLC cooperation support the development strategies of member countries. The ministers welcomed the implementation of projects and programs in priority areas of connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economy, water resources management, agriculture and poverty reduction. Cooperation in sustainable management of Mekong - Lancang water resources has also made progress. This includes the implementation of the agreement between the six countries on year-round sharing of hydrological data and joint research on flood forecasting and disaster prevention. The Mekong-Lancang Special Fund has supported member countries in implementing more than 700 small and medium-sized projects in many fields such as trade, agriculture, tourism, water resources management, environment, health, poverty reduction, and women's empowerment. The ministers agreed to study the possibility of establishing a people-centered Mekong-Lancang Innovation Corridor to develop the Mekong-Lancang Economic Belt.

Foreign ministers and representatives of MLC member countries at the conference - Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Four proposals from Vietnam

Speaking at the conference, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son proposed four priority groups for MLC cooperation in the coming time. Firstly , developing basic industries, gradually shifting from processing and assembling to research, design and production, promoting innovation, creativity, application and technology transfer. Secondly , promoting digital transformation through policy dialogue on digital economy and cyber security, cooperation in developing digital human resources, smart cities, digitalization of small and medium enterprises, micro-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and encouraging the construction of digital infrastructure, application of new generation technology in the manufacturing industry. Thirdly , protecting the environment and transforming green growth through strengthening cooperation in developing a green, circular bio-economy, clean and renewable energy, and developing smart agriculture. In addition, it is necessary to accelerate the completion and implementation of the MLC Water Resources Cooperation Action Plan for the period 2023 - 2027, expand the scope of sharing meteorological, hydrological and dam operation data, and strengthen coordination between the MLC and the Mekong River Commission. Fourth , promote trade cooperation, build smart supply chains, support the connection of MSMEs with multinational enterprises, and reform the investment environment. Minister Bui Thanh Son's speech was welcomed and highly appreciated by the participating member countries.

Vietnam to host Mekong water conference in 2024

At the conference, the countries affirmed their support for Vietnam to host the second MLC water resources cooperation ministerial conference in 2024. The conference also agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges, educational cooperation and tourism.

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