PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of lower Mekong countries agreed on Thursday that the Mekong River Commission (MRC)'s cooperation with the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) and other sub-regional mechanisms was vital to building a sub-region of a shared future.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith adopted the Siem Reap Declaration during the 3rd MRC summit in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province.
The declaration said identifying and implementing opportunities for further cooperation with important regional cooperation frameworks, LMC and dialogue partners were one of the MRC's priority areas.
"Concrete cooperation should be further pursued with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) towards a shared future," it said.
Founded in 1995, the MRC consists of four lower Mekong countries - Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos - as its members, while the upper Mekong countries -China and Myanmar - are the MRC's dialogue partners.
The LMC, initiated by China in 2014, is comprised of China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, with its main objective to create a community of a shared future, peace, and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region.
Speaking at the 3rd MRC summit, Chinese Minister of Water Resources E Jingping said the LMC would not replace any sub-regional mechanism. Instead, it would coordinate with existing mechanisms such as the GMS Economic Cooperation and the MRC for the sustainable development of the Lancang-Mekong River.
He said China was willing to work with the MRC and all riparian countries under the existing cooperation mechanisms, making the LMC as a model of building a community with a shared future for humanity.
