A view of the China-Laos Railway's Ban Ladhan Mekong River Super Major Bridge, located some 230 km north of Vientiane, Laos. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By CHEN Chunyou

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the economic and trade authorities of the five ASEAN member countries the Mekong River runs through – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – adopted the Five-Year Development Plan for Cross-Border Economic Cooperation Among Mekong-Lancang Countries (2023-2027) in December 2023. The plan was incorporated into the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration of the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting as an outcome in the field of economy and trade.

The plan aims to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the Mekong-Lancang countries at the fourth LMC Leaders' Meeting on promoting economic and trade cooperation.

The LMC is a new type of sub-regional cooperation mechanism to promote peace, stability and sustainable development in the region. The plan identifies enhanced connectivity, production capacity cooperation, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction as the key areas of cooperation.

MOFCOM said, "This holds great guiding significance for economic and trade cooperation among Mekong-Lancang countries, and will further enhance the level of cross-border economic cooperation among member countries and promote the integrated development of the subregion's economies."

As per the plan, in order to establish a vibrant innovation ecosystem, a framework for cooperation in science, technology and innovation in the Mekong-Lancang region will be developed, and R&D, application, commercialization and technology transfer will be promoted in mutually agreed key areas. Innovation corridors will be established to support industrial development of the subregion, especially in border areas and special economic zones.

Efforts will also be made to promote cooperation in technologies and research related to the development of a bio-cycling green economy. This includes promoting technologies and innovative solutions for transitioning to a circular economy, and achieving carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions.

Moreover, measures will be taken to deepen cooperation in satellite development and satellite ground stations, with the goal of enhancing the space capacity of Mekong-Lancang countries.

The countries are also welcome to participate in the International Lunar Research Station and cooperate at different levels and stages, including joint demonstration, mission design, technical cooperation and payload ride.

In addition, based on the needs of each country, action will be taken to promote the application of advanced space technology in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, safety production, road transport management, disaster prevention and mitigation, weather forecasting and urban management. A Lancang Earth observation data cooperation center will be established to facilitate the use of relevant technologies in these sectors, and ensure that all countries have equal access to information.

Young people from the Mekong-Lancang countries will be supported to apply for the atomic energy scholarship program and pursue postgraduate education in nuclear science and technology in China.

Enhancing cooperation on digital economy, public health, energy, climate change and environmental protection is also on the agenda, according to the plan.