The Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Chinese Embassy co-organised a seminar on Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) and related regional collaboration opportunities in Hanoi on March 18.

Participants pose for a photo at the seminar (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

The seminar, which formed part of activities in response to the MLC week in late March each year, attracted over 50 delegates from the China Institute of International Studies, Vietnam’s ministries, sectors and research institutes, and media agencies from both countries.

Speaking at the event, Assistant the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Van Thao said the MLC mechanism, established three years ago, has seen positive activities and now brought the cooperation from the start into its development phase.  

Vietnam treasures the MLC mechanism and has joined in the building process since the beginning and proposed various initiatives, he noted. 

Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo said six MLC countries share a close connection in terms of geographic location, economy, and culture. The nations have realized their ideas via a series of activities related to economic cooperation, infrastructure, cultural exchange, education and health toward openness, equality, inclusion, and mutual support.

The diplomat stated Vietnam holds an indispensible role in MLC and highlighted the country’s potential for partnership in production, agriculture, and water management.

At the seminar, participants exchanged views on various MLC aspects, including economy, water sources, infrastructure construction, and people-to-people exchanges. They pointed out a number of shortcomings like the shortage of diversified capital sources as well as specific mechanisms for water source-related cooperation and basic principles for water use. They also put forth measures to strengthen the MLC.

The MLC is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism that was jointly established in 2016 by the six countries along the Mekong River, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.-VNA