Open a New Chapter of Community with a Shared Future
（Liu Ting, Director and Professor, International Collaboration Center, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences & Chinese (Kunming) Academy of South and Southeast Asia Studies）
Flowing through six countries, the Lancang-Mekong River is more than just a waterway—it is a bond connecting China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in geography, civilisation and shared destiny. Since the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism in 2015, the six nations have forged ahead with pragmatic efforts, turning the vision of regional cooperation into concrete actions over the past decade. Now, standing at a new historical starting point, LMC is stepping into its 2.0 era, poised to write a new chapter of building a closer community with a shared future for peace and prosperity.
The past ten years have witnessed the fruitful growth of LMC, which has evolved from a framework design to in-depth integration and become one of the most vibrant and promising regional cooperation mechanisms in Asia. Upholding the LMC spirit of “development first, equality and consultation, pragmatism and efficiency, openness and inclusiveness”, the six countries have built a three-dimensional cooperation structure led by leaders, covering all fields and involving various departments. The trade volume between China and the five Mekong countries has doubled, with landmark infrastructure projects such as the China-Laos Railway and the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway operating steadily, and the China-Thailand and China-Vietnam railway connectivity making solid progress. The “small yet beautiful” livelihood projects, including the “Harvest Lancang-Mekong” initiative and the “Sweet Water Action”, have brought tangible benefits to local people, laying a solid popular foundation for cooperation. In addition, the six nations have jointly addressed non-traditional security challenges, carried out regular “Safe Lancang-Mekong” operations to crack down on cross-border crimes, and established mechanisms for disaster early warning and joint prevention and control of infectious diseases, effectively safeguarding regional peace and stability. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges have flourished, with over 160 pairs of sister cities established and brand events like the Lancang-Mekong Cultural and Art Festival becoming bridges for mutual understanding, nurturing the LMC culture of “treating each other as equals, helping each other sincerely and being as close as a family”.
The launch of LMC 2.0 is a strategic choice to adapt to the profound changes in the global landscape and meet the common development needs of the six countries. At the 10th LMC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Kunming in 2025, the six parties reached a consensus to build an LMC 2.0 featuring solidarity and cooperation, openness and win-win results, green and innovation, as well as peace and stability, with the core concept of “co-construction of a shared home”. This new phase is not just a continuation of past cooperation, but a comprehensive upgrade in mechanism, fields and connotation, centering on the vision of building the five homes of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendship, and exploring a new path of regional governance with mutual construction, risk sharing and welfare sharing.
To advance LMC 2.0, the six countries are committed to four key pillars of cooperation. First, strengthening top-level design to steer the mechanism’s development in the right direction. We will deepen high-level strategic communication, improve the LMC institutional system, and push for the establishment of the LMC International Secretariat, making cooperation more standardized and institutionalized. Focusing on key areas such as agriculture, water resources and environmental governance, we will further integrate the Lancang-Mekong River Basin Economic Development Belt with regional cooperation frameworks like the Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN Community, unleashing synergy of regional linkage. Second, embracing innovative development to accelerate pragmatic cooperation. We will empower the real economy with science and technology, establish cooperation mechanisms in digital economy, artificial intelligence and technological innovation, and boost cooperation in new energy fields such as energy storage, electric vehicles and photovoltaic power. By strengthening cooperation in customs, metrology and inspection and quarantine, we will solidify the stability of regional industrial and supply chains and advance economic integration. Third, deepening law enforcement cooperation to safeguard regional harmony and stability. Leveraging the LMC Ministerial Meeting on Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation, we will build a cooperation platform for protecting overseas citizens’ safety, intensify joint efforts to combat cross-border crimes such as online gambling, telecom fraud and drug trafficking, and enhance the synergy of law enforcement and judicial cooperation. Fourth, enhancing people-to-people exchanges to fuel good-neighborliness and friendship. We will deepen the integration of culture and tourism, expand cooperation in higher and vocational education, and increase the number of scholarships and training opportunities for Mekong countries in China. More “small yet beautiful” projects will be launched to raise the visibility of LMC Special Fund projects and the people’s sense of gain, turning people-to-people connectivity from a vision into a regular practice.
Green development is a defining feature of LMC 2.0, as the six countries strive to build a beautiful home with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. The implementation of the Lancang-Mekong Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework (2023-2027) and the steady progress of the Green Lancang-Mekong Plan have laid a solid foundation for ecological cooperation. The official launch of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Partnership Network and the Clean Air Initiative have provided financial and technical support for regional ecological protection through special funds, promoting a positive interaction between economic growth and environmental conservation. Water resources cooperation, a cornerstone of LMC, has entered a new stage of institutionalized and systematic development, with the six countries working together on flood and drought management, water resource allocation and joint research, turning the Lancang-Mekong River into a “river of peace and sustainable development”.
In an era of rising unilateralism and protectionism, LMC 2.0 stands as a vivid practice of true multilateralism and open regionalism. It is not an exclusive bloc, but an open platform that adheres to the “3+5+X” cooperation system, welcoming all partners to participate in Lancang-Mekong cooperation and share development dividends. The LMC model, which prioritizes development, focuses on pragmatism and puts people at the center, provides a new option for developing countries to realize independent and sustainable development, and offers valuable insights for global governance reform, especially for cooperation among countries of the Global South.
The surging Lancang-Mekong River witnesses the profound transformation of the six countries from geographical neighbors to a community with a shared future. Over the past decade, LMC has proven that mutual respect, equality, consultation and win-win cooperation are the fundamental principles for resolving regional governance challenges and achieving common development. As we embark on the new golden decade of LMC 2.0, the six nations will continue to carry forward the LMC spirit, deepen the concept of “co-construction of a shared home”, and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy and green energy. We will work hand in hand to turn the Lancang-Mekong region into a demonstration zone for the Belt and Road Initiative, a pilot zone for the Global Development Initiative, a testbed for the Global Security Initiative and a model zone for the Global Civilization Initiative, making LMC 2.0 a shining example of regional cooperation and contributing more to world peace and common development.