On October 11, Chinese Ambassador Lyu Jian, and Mr.Wijam Simachaya, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, signed the MoU on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund Projects in Bangkok. Representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Water Resources Office and other departments, Ambassadors or their representatives of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to Thailand attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Lyu said LMC is forged among countries that drink the same water, and water resources cooperation is one of the five priority areas of LMC. During the 2nd LMC Leader’s Meeting in this January, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed to well implement water resources cooperation, and reinforce production capacity cooperation in such areas as construction of water conservancy facilities, and positively received by participating countries. China has been providing flood season hydro-logical data of the Lancang River over the past 16 years through the Mekong River Commission(MRC) to downstream countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The cascade reservoirs built by China on the Lancang River have played an effective role in adjusting the water level by increasing the discharge in the dry season, and storing the floodwater in the raining season, thereby stabilizing the hydro-logical condition of the Mekong River despite dramatic global climate change and frequent extreme weather. Over the past two years, LMC has made tangible benefits of water resources cooperation and concrete results to member states. The Lancang-Mekong water resources Cooperation Center has been established, and the “Five-Year Plan of Action on LMC Water Resources Cooperation” is being drafted. China is willing to strengthen water resources cooperation with Lancang-Mekong countries including Thailand within the LMC framework, and take the water resources cooperation among our six countries to a new level.

Mr.Wijam Simachaya said that the Lancang-Mekong River is the common wealth of the countries in the region and a valuable link linking of the six countries. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism has provided an important platform to deepen friendship and cooperation for us. Thailand and China have carried out fruitful water resources cooperation under bilateral and multilateral framework for a long time. Thanks to China’s attention and investment in this cooperation, this will effectively promote the sustainable development of the region. Thailand supports China for building a community of shared destiny for peace and prosperity of the Lancang-Mekong countries and will actively participate in the projects under the LMC framework, jointly tackle challenges of climate change and work together to build an environment-friendly Lancang-Mekong homeland.

Lancang-Mekong cooperation is a sub-regional cooperation platform jointly initiated and developed by China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. In March 2016, the LMC mechanism was formally launched at the first LMC Leader’s Meeting in Hainan. China announced the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Fund, which would provide US$300 million with five years to support the small and medium-sized cooperation projects proposed by the six countries. On April 18 this year, China and Thailand signed the first MoU on the LMC Special Fund projects proposed by the Thai side in Bangkok.In accordance with the MoU, the Chinese side will fund the Thai side in research in tackling climate change and cooperation mechanism of hydro-power development.