Consensus reached at LMC seminar

Guests and experts pose for photos during a seminar on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on March 18, 2019. A seminar on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) was held here on Monday, with officials and scholars from China and Vietnam reaching consensus on promoting regional cooperation. (Xinhua/Wang Di)

A seminar on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) was held here on Monday, with officials and scholars from China and Vietnam reaching consensus on promoting regional cooperation.

Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo told the seminar that after more than three years of joint efforts, the LMC has become one of the most dynamic cooperation mechanisms in the subregion.

At present, said the Chinese diplomat, the international situation is unstable and uncertain factors are increasing, and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise.

The ambassador said in this context, the positive results achieved under the LMC mechanism are even more precious.

As an important country in the basin, Vietnam has an indispensable role in the LMC, and there is also a huge potential for cooperation, said the ambassador.

China is willing to work with Vietnam under the framework of LMC to focus on inter-connection, production capacity, cross-border economy, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction cooperation, and promoting cooperation projects in Vietnam to achieve more pragmatic results for the benefit of the two peoples, the Chinese ambassador said.

In his speech, Assistant to Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Van Thao said that in recent years, the LMC has made important progress, attracting extensive attention and active participation from various ministries, sectors and localities in the six state members of LMC.

A large number of related projects have helped spread new knowledge and new technology to promote cooperation in environmental protection, climate change and sustainable use of resources, and bring tangible benefits to the regional population.

Under the framework of LMC, the countries have successfully coordinated and held many policy dialogues, cultural exchanges and youth exchanges, which will help strengthen friendship, deepen mutual understanding, enhance experience sharing, and make the public more aware of the opportunities and challenges faced by regional countries as well as the importance of conducting sincere and pragmatic cooperation.

Nguyen Vu Tung, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said at the seminar that for countries in the region, the number of projects under the framework of LMC is considerable and comprehensive, and it contains development opportunities.

These projects not only have economic, environmental and educational values, but also have important political, diplomatic and security aspects. The academy is actively involving in research activities and working with other academic institutions to help the public better understand this collaborative mechanism.

Qi Zhenhong, President of the China Institute of International Studies, told Xinhua that in the context of the profound and complex changes in the current international situation, strengthening Chinese-Vietnamese cooperation under the scheme of LMC will not only benefit the two countries and the two peoples, but also the six countries in the region and the whole world.

The seminar was jointly organized by the Chinese embassy in Vietnam and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

At the event, experts from China and Vietnam also discussed the status quo, achievements and prospects of the LMC, the LMC Economic Development Belt, the humanities and social cooperation among regional countries, and the rational use of water resources in the basin.

Editor: John Li