China is willing to take the opportunity of the 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (MLC) Leaders' and Foreign Ministers' Meetings to further collaborate with the other five Mekong nations, strengthening all-round cooperation among the nations, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
An important comprehensive sub-regional cooperation framework, LMC was established in 2015 by six countries, namely China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The fifith MLC Leaders' Meeting will be held in Thailand, and the 10th MLC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in China this year.
"The fifth LMC Leaders' Meeting and the10th LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting will be held later this year. China stands ready to work closely with the five Mekong countries to further improve and upgrade our cooperation across the board, and work for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation 2.0," said Mao.
"The six countries will continue to carry forward the spirit of 'development first, equal consultation, pragmatism and efficiency, and openness and inclusiveness', join hands to pursue modernization, actively forge a stronger Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt, build a closer community with a shared future among LMC countries and make LMC countries' contribution to regional peace and development with more stability," she said.
China ready to upgrade cooperation with other LMC nations: spokeswoman
The new China-Mongolia cross-border railway is expected to serve as a new bridge for boosting connectivity between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing on Thursday.
China and Mongolia held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday to mark the official launch of construction on the Gantsmod–Gashuunsukhait rail project, which will be the second cross-border rail link between the two countries.
Lin said at a regular press briefing that the railway would inject new momentum into the development of China-Mongolia bilateral relations.
"On May 14, China and Mongolia held a ceremony to mark the official groundbreaking of the Gantsmod-Gashuunsukhait cross-border railway, which is the second cross-border railway between the two countries. Expanding cooperation in key areas such as economy and trade, energy, mining and connectivity is an important common understanding between President Xi Jinping and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. In February this year, Premier Li Qiang and Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene jointly witnessed the exhibiting of the cooperation agreement on the Gantsmod-Gashuunsukhait railway and coal trade," said Lin.
"The construction of this cross-border railway is not only a concrete step of implementing the important common understanding between the presidents of the two countries, but also an important action to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia's Steppe Road Program. We hope this railway will serve as a new bridge for China-Mongolia connectivity, fostering deeper development integration, promoting industrial synergy, and expanding visits and exchanges, thereby injecting new impetus in to the building of a China-Mongolia community with a shared future," he said.
New cross-border railway to enhance connectivity between China, Mongolia: FM spokesman
