Lancang-Mekong Cooperation provides enormous benefits to members: Cambodian FM

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea has said that the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism has provided tremendous benefits to its member countries, according to a news release issued by the foreign ministry on Friday.

Chenda Sophea, who is also a Cambodian deputy prime minister, said that over the past eight years, the LMC has yielded great benefits for Lancang-Mekong countries, said the news release, which was issued after he attended the ninth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand last week.

"He commended substantive outcomes resulting from the implementation of projects in the Mekong subregion under the LMC Special Fund since 2017 and looks forward to effectively implementing new projects allocated for Cambodia, while extending Cambodia's deep gratitude to the Government of the People's Republic of China for providing the LMC Fund, which has greatly contributed to economic development in the sub-region," the news release said.

Chenda Sophea said the LMC countries needed to continue intensifying efforts to boost trade, investment, tourism, and green development in the region, while further strengthening agricultural cooperation, particularly with the support of advanced technology and innovation.

He added that the LMC countries needed to jointly tackle air pollution which poses threats not only to health but also to the region's economy, food and water security, and climate, while making collaborative efforts to combat transnational crimes, especially online scams, cybercrime, human trafficking, and other criminal activities.

The LMC countries include China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The LMC mechanism focuses on five priority areas of cooperation, namely connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources management, and agriculture and poverty reduction.