Mao noted that this year marks a decade since the mechanism’s first leaders’ meeting, which expanded cooperation initiatives through the joint efforts of the countries in the basin.

The spokesperson highlighted that China’s ties with the five Mekong countries have deepened over those 10 years, during which bilateral and multilateral trade surpassed 500 billion dollars, a 150-percent growth compared to a decade ago.

She pointed out that developing an economic belt in the Lancang-Mekong basin has yielded significant results, and an “innovation corridor” has emerged as a new area of cooperation.

Mao said projects to improve regional connectivity are progressing, and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (LMCSF) has supported more than 1,000 small-scale initiatives that provide direct benefits to local communities.

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