2nd LMC summit to bring great benefits to countries along Lancang-Mekong River: Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Tuesday that the upcoming second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting will bring great benefits to the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River.

"This meeting will bring a lot of development projects to the countries along the Mekong River, which connects to the Lancang River in China," he wrote on his Facebook page.

The prime minister said it was a pride for Cambodia to host such an important summit and lauded the country's peace and political stability.

Hun Sen and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will co-chair the second LMC leaders' meeting in Phnom Penh on Jan 10, according to a Cambodian foreign ministry statement.

The meeting will also bring together Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Myanmar Vice President Myint Swe.

The statement said the leaders are expected to adopt four documents, namely the Phnom Penh Declaration, a five-year action plan of the LMC (2018-2022), a joint list of 2nd batch of cooperation projects, and reports of the Six Joint Working Groups of Priority Areas.

Initiated by China in 2014, LMC consists of six countries, namely China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. It focuses on five priority areas of cooperation, namely connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources management and agriculture, and poverty reduction.

The Lancang River originates on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in China. It is called the Mekong River as it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the sea.