Latest news with #Lancang-MekongCooperation
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
China, Lao FMs meet in Beijing, pledge stronger ties
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) greeting Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Anning on Aug 14. - Chinese Foreign Ministry KUNMING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday (Aug 14) met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Anning, Yunnan Province. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is willing to work with Laos to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, strengthen strategic communication, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to continuously inject new vitality into their traditional friendship. Wang said China is ready to share the benefits of its super-sized market with Laos, encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Laos, safeguard the security and stability of industrial and supply chains, and work with Laos to resist economic coercion and bullying. China welcomes Laos' joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) family and looks forward to Laos contributing to the development of the SCO, Wang added. Thongsavanh, who is in China for the tenth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, said the Lao Party and government attach great importance to developing relations with China and hope to promote the construction of a Laos-China community with a shared future to go deeper and achieve more solid progress. Thongsavanh thanked China for supporting Laos in becoming a dialogue partner of the SCO. Laos is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, he added. - Xinhua
The Star
11-08-2025
- Business
- The Star
LMC-funded solar power supply project completed in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady region
YANGON (Xinhua): A ceremony to mark the completion of a solar mini-grid electricity supply and water supply distribution system project funded by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (2023) was held in Dedaye township of Ayeyarwady region, Myanmar, on Sunday. The ceremony was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia, Myanmar's Union Minister for Cooperatives and Rural Development U Hla Moe, Ayeyarwady Region Chief Minister U Tin Maung Win, and nearly 300 government officials and village representatives. Speaking at the event, Ma said that Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has grown step by step and become one of the most dynamic regional cooperation mechanisms. The solar mini-grid electricity project in Kan Seik village of Dedaye township, a "small but beautiful" livelihood project, addresses the most urgent and pressing needs of the people, she said. "It is not only a concrete implementation of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation's 'people-oriented' philosophy, but also a manifestation of the 'Paukphaw' friendship between China and Myanmar." Myanmar's officials expressed gratitude for China's support, saying that the project has helped 750 farmers solve their electricity and water problems and promoted industrial development. Village representatives said they had never dreamed they would have access to electricity and clean water, and sincerely thanked the Chinese government for its assistance. - Xinhua
New Straits Times
30-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Imperfect truce: Thailand and Cambodia must relearn habits of cooperation
THE ceasefire brokered in Kuala Lumpur on July 28, 2025, by Asean Chair, Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was intended to halt the rapid escalation of a five-day conflict that claimed over 40 lives and displaced more than 300,000 civilians. Yet, within hours of implementation, accusations surfaced. Thailand claimed that Cambodian troops had violated the terms of the truce. Cambodia, in turn, denied any wrongdoing and insisted on full compliance. This mutual distrust underscores a reality often overlooked in the aftermath of ceasefires: peace is not made by paper alone. A ceasefire is merely a suspension of hostilities. Without a shared commitment to transparency, accountability, and restraint, such agreements remain brittle and ultimately ineffective. In the case of Thailand and Cambodia, the habits of military cooperation and political coordination appear to have withered, replaced instead by unilateralism and suspicion. Thailand holds the upper hand in conventional terms. Its military is better equipped, more mobile, and strategically coordinated. Cambodia, led by the new Prime Minister Hun Manet but still heavily influenced by his father, Hun Sen, has responded with nationalist fervour and rhetorical defiance. Both approaches risk deepening the impasse. Political actors on both sides seem more focused on managing domestic legitimacy than genuinely building bilateral trust. That posturing only widens the gap between their forces in the field and the peace so urgently needed by civilians caught in the crossfire. This dispute is more than a mere contest over ancient maps and sacred sites. It is now a regional concern with significant international consequences. President of the United States Donald Trump has warned that if the ceasefire fails, his administration will implement punitive tariffs — 49 per cent on Cambodian exports and 36 per cent on Thai goods. These threats are not idle. For a region still recovering from pandemic-era disruptions and global inflation, such tariffs would be economically devastating. China, for its part, has called quietly but firmly for dialogue. Its interests in mainland Southeast Asia — particularly through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism and key Belt and Road infrastructure — depend on a stable and predictable neighbourhood. Prolonged conflict not only risks damaging Chinese investments but also weakens Asean's overall cohesion, making the region more vulnerable to great power manipulation. The General Border Committee meeting scheduled for August 4 2025 in Cambodia presents an opportunity to reset the trajectory. But it must go beyond symbolism. Concrete steps are needed. These include setting up joint verification teams, activating real-time communication lines between military commands, and establishing demilitarised zones in the most volatile areas. There must also be an agreement to jointly manage humanitarian relief and reconstruction for the tens of thousands displaced. Asean, long derided for its "non-interference" doctrine, has shown glimpses of maturity. Malaysia, as Chair, moved swiftly to convene both sides. Laos and the Philippines, the previous and future Chairs respectively, have been engaged in quiet diplomacy. Singapore and Indonesia have lent support to confidence-building. But Asean's effectiveness now depends on sustained follow-through. It must consider the deployment of neutral observers and take bolder steps to institutionalise early-warning and de-escalation mechanisms. Thailand and Cambodia must remember that military victories, even if achievable, do not resolve territorial or political disputes. A genuine settlement requires mutual recognition of sovereignty, shared responsibility for border governance, and acknowledgment of past grievances without weaponising them. The alternative is a return to tit-for-tat clashes, each deadlier than the last, with each side blaming the other while their people suffer the consequences. This is not a conflict that demands external arbitration, it is a dispute Asean is well-equipped to handle if its member states summon the will. The past 50 years have proven that Southeast Asia can contain its tensions through dialogue, consensus, and community-building. That legacy is now being tested, not by superpowers, but by two of its own. The ceasefire agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur must not become another footnote in a long list of failed truces. So far it isn't. It must serve as the foundation for a new habit of cooperation — one where Thailand and Cambodia can jointly manage their border, de-escalate tensions, and prioritise the lives and dignity of their people over nationalist grandstanding.
The Star
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Laos secures US$2.8mil from Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund to finance development projects
Laos' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maythong Thammavongsa shakes hands with the Chinese Ambassador to Laos Fang Hong after signing an agreement on Tuesday. - Photo: VNS VIENTIANE: Laos and China have signed a new cooperation agreement under the 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund, with Laos securing funding for 10 development projects worth a total of US$2,823,600. The agreement was signed on Tuesday (July 15) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maythong Thammavongsa and the Chinese Ambassador to Laos, Fang Hong. The 10 projects cover a range of priority development areas including human resource development, agriculture, water resources, public health, and poverty eradication, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. These initiatives will be implemented at both the central and local levels, aiming to boost socio-economic growth, strengthen institutional capacity, and improve the well-being of targeted communities in line with LMC's framework. The LMC promotes peace, shared prosperity, and sustainable development in the Mekong countries comprising Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. LMC Special Fund, established by China in 2016 and implemented from 2017, serves as a key financial instrument to translate the cooperation vision into practical outcomes. Since its inception, Laos has received 90 projects worth over US$23 million through the Fund, with implementation yielding concrete and measurable results. During the agreement signing ceremony, Lao and Chinese officials expressed confidence that the new batch of 2025 projects will continue to enhance socio-economic development across the Mekong subregion. They also affirmed their commitment to strengthening ties within the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework, which plays a vital role in addressing regional challenges and advancing broader goals such as the Asean Community Vision, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), South-South Cooperation, and the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its appreciation for China's continued support and partnership, highlighting the importance of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund as a platform for practical, inclusive, and mutually beneficial cooperation. - Vientiane Times/ANN
Japan Times
14-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Xi urges greater cooperation with Vietnam as trade tensions with U.S. flare
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for stronger industrial and supply chain cooperation with Vietnam and wider collaboration in emerging fields, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday, amid heightened trade tensions prompted by hefty U.S. tariffs. Xi starts a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia this week, beginning his state visits with Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday. The trip comes with an aim to consolidate economic ties with some of China's closest neighbors at a time when the world's top two economies are locked in a tariff tussle. China hiked its levies on imports of U.S. goods to 125% on Friday, hitting back at U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to single out the world's No. 2 economy for higher duties. Xi also urged strengthening coordination and cooperation through regional initiatives such as the East Asia Cooperation and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, the ministry said, citing an article by the Chinese leader published in Vietnam media. He called such efforts necessary to "inject more stability and positive energy into a chaotic and intertwined world." "There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and protectionism has no way out," Xi said, without mentioning the U.S. specifically. "We must firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, maintain the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, and maintain the international environment for open cooperation," he said. Last week, China sought to get ahead of U.S. negotiators, holding video calls with the EU and Malaysia, which is chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, as well as Saudi Arabia and South Africa, by way of reaching out to Gulf countries and the Group of 20 and BRICS nations. In hope of avoiding punishing U.S. tariffs, Vietnam is prepared to crack down on Chinese goods being shipped to the United States via its territory and will tighten controls on sensitive exports to China, according to a person familiar with the matter and a government document seen by reporters. In the article, Xi said China welcomes more high-quality imports from Vietnam and encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in the Southeast Asian country. Both countries should expand cooperation in emerging fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence and green development, the article said. Vietnam has long pursued a "bamboo diplomacy" approach, striving to stay on good terms with both China and the United States. The two countries have close economic ties, but Hanoi shares U.S. concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea. China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own, but this is disputed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei. The Chinese leader in his Monday article insisted Beijing and Hanoi could resolve those disputes through dialogue. "We should properly manage differences and safeguard peace and stability in our region," Xi wrote. "With vision, we are fully capable of properly settling maritime issues through consultation and negotiation."
