By Mr. Han Zhiqiang
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Thailand
The Lancang-Mekong River flows ceaselessly, nourishing the lands of the six riparian countries and carrying their peoples’ shared pursuit of peace, prosperity, and a happy life. Upholding the original aspiration of “Shared River, Shared Future”, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) has, after nine years of cultivation, become a new fountain of strength for regional development, continuously yielding fruitful results in building a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.
We have deepened political mutual trust and security and laid a solid foundation for peace and stability. The six Lancang-Mekong countries have prioritized political mutual trust and security cooperation. China and the five Mekong countries have established communities with a shared future both on bilateral and multilateral levels, jointly leading the way in building a community with a shared future for mankind. The institutional development of the LMC mechanism has been increasingly refined, with notable achievements in non-traditional security cooperation. The six member countries have established the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Mechanism, deepening collaboration in areas such as counter-terrorism and combating transnational crime. China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have completed the 150th joint patrol and law enforcement action along the Mekong River. China, Thailand, and Myanmar have jointly conducted operations to combat online gambling and telecom fraud in the Thai-Myanmar border region, dismantling multiple fraud dens and repatriating a large number of suspects, further safeguarding regional security and order.
We have focused on economic and sustainable development, and created a new vision of prosperity. Infrastructure connectivity among the riparian countries is accelerating, with economic and trade cooperation achieving both quantitative and qualitative improvements, and green transformation leading the way. Since the opening of the China-Laos Railway three years ago, cross-border cargo transportation has covered 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China and 19 countries and regions including Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Thai government has approved the planning for the second phase of the China-Thailand Railway project, which will connect with the China-Laos Railway in the future, forming a “Golden Corridor” running through the Indochina Peninsula. In 2024, trade between China and the Mekong countries exceeded US$450 billion, doubling from a decade ago. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the LMC mechanism are working in synergy, expanding the coverage of “zero-tariffs” on agricultural products.
We have promoted people-to-people exchanges and built bridges for mutual understanding. The cluster of cooperative projects jointly developed by the six countries has yielded remarkable results. Initiatives such as the “Lancang-Mekong Sweet Spring Project” have benefited tens of thousands of people, while projects like the “LMC Bumper Harvest Projects” and the “Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation” have been steadily implemented, delivering tangible benefits to the people. The implementation of China-Thailand and China-Laos visa-free policies has led to increasingly frequent exchanges among the people of the six countries in areas such as food, film, culture, and tourism. Exchanges among youth, media, think tanks, and localities have also become increasingly closer, further promoting the LMC culture featuring equality, sincerity, mutual assistance and kinship.
Thailand, as the current co-chair of the LMC, is a key advocate and active participant. Leveraging its unique geographical advantages and developmental expertise, Thailand is playing an increasingly prominent role within the mechanism. In November 2022, President Xi Jinping visited Thailand, and the two countries announced the beginning of a new era in building a China-Thailand community with a shared future. In February this year, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra paid an official visit to China and the two leaders outlined a new blueprint for advancing the building of a China-Thailand community with a shared future. Under the strategic guidance of the leadership of both countries, political mutual trust between China and Thailand has been further consolidated, practical cooperation has been comprehensively upgraded, and the concept that “China and Thailand are as close as one family” has become more deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand under the theme of the “Golden Jubilee of China-Thailand Friendship”. The two sides will conduct high-level visits and a series of celebratory activities. China supports Thailand in successfully hosting the 5th LMC Leaders’ Meeting and believes that the historic progress in China-Thailand relations will benefit both countries and their peoples, and will further contribute to regional peace, development, and prosperity.
As a Thai proverb says, “A single tree cannot make a forest”. China is willing to work with Thailand and other riparian countries to continue promoting the Lancang-Mekong spirit, deepen integrated development, adhere to innovation-driven growth, strengthen the foundation of people-to-people ties, and build a golden decade for LMC with closer partnerships and higher-quality cooperation outcomes!
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