Great Success of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Achievement Sharing Forum

On December 9, Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Achievement Sharing Forum made a great success in Wuhan. The forum vividly showed water cooperation achievements made by the six Lancang-Mekong countries upholding the idea of "Lancang-Mekong countries are one family sharing the same river", underpinning a new-level Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation. Zuo Wenxing, Counsellor of Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and Li Ge, First-class Inspector and Deputy Director-General of Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology of the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China virtually attended and addressed the forum. Wu Daoxi, Deputy Director of Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) was present at the meeting and made a speech.



As Zuo Wenxing said in her remarks, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) is a new type of sub-regional cooperation mechanism developed by the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong river on the basis of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Water resource cooperation is one of the most important areas of LMC, and plays a key role in building climate resilience and strengthening flood and drought prevention and management. In the past 6 years since the inception of LMC, the six countries have gained remarkable achievements in water resource cooperation, which greatly have benefited the six member countries and have brought their people a stronger sense of participation, fulfillment and happiness. She is also convinced that with the six countries' shared endeavor, the six countries will make new achievements and contribution to water cooperation, the development of the LMC Economic Development Belt and a Community with a Shared Future of Peace and Prosperity among Lancang-Mekong Countries.



As Li Ge said in his remarks, in the past 6 years since the inception of LMC, the water resources management and relevant departments of the six countries have made joint efforts and taken multiple measures to actively implement the spirit of the three LMC Leaders' Meetings, making the cooperation highly productive. First, mechanisms and platforms have been established and improved, forming a long-term mechanism for Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation. Second, pragmatic cooperation has been deepened; the six countries have jointly completed the implementation of the Five-Year Action Plan for Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2022), the capacity building projects have been effectively implemented, and several joint research projects have been carried out. Third, information sharing has been open and transparent, and the cooperation in information sharing has been advanced to new levels. Fourth, people's concerns have been addressed and overall coordination has been made; China has given full play to the role of the Lancang River Hydraulic Project in "regulating water in wet season and replenishing water in dry season", and repeatedly implemented emergency water replenishment despite difficulties to help downstream countries effectively alleviate drought. Through the forum, he hoped to have a deeper understanding of the needs of Mekong countries in water resources cooperation, set a clearer direction for Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation, and lay a good foundation for launching the next new Five-Year Action Plan, so as to push the Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation to a new level.



On behalf of CWRC, Wu Daoxi expressed his sincerest welcome to the leaders, experts and deputies present at the forum. He said that in recent years, CWRC has productively exchanged and cooperated with relevant organizations from the countries in the Mekong River Basin in watershed planning, flood control and disaster relief, hydrological network building, rural drinking water, small watershed management, and talent exchange and training through a series of water resources cooperation projects under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Resources, and has been cooperative with the Ministry of Water Resources in researching and developing schemes for scientific scheduling of Lancang River cascade reservoirs and emergency water replenishment for downstream countries. In addition, CWRC organized training and exchange activities on integrated water resources management, flood forecasting technology, flood and drought control technology, water supply and irrigation, reservoir scheduling and management for the countries in the Mekong River Basin, and has also jointly trained international students from Mekong River countries with famous universities in China. He said that CWRC would like to take this forum as an opportunity to continue taking advantage of its technical talents and the platform of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the basin countries, promote the sustainable use of water resources and water environment protection in the basin, spur the economic and social development of the basin countries, enhance people's well-being, and make greater contributions to the high-quality development of Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation.



During the presentation, experts from the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, the Dam Safety Management Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, the CRSRI-CWRC, the CISPDR, the Ministry of Water Resource Management and Meteorology of Cambodia, and the Secretariat of the Laos National Mekong River Commission discussed the achievements of cooperation in rural water supply safety guarantee technology, dam safety guarantee system establishment, Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation projects and integrated small watershed management in the Lancang-Mekong countries and shared their experience.



The forum was held both virtually and on the spot. More than 120 people attended the forum simultaneously, including leaders from the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology of the Ministry of Water Resources, experts from the International Cooperation, Science and Technology Bureau of CWRC, the CRSRI, the LMC Water Center, the Human Resources Development Center and the CISPDR, officials and experts from the water administration departments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, journalists from relevant media, and international students from Mekong countries in China.


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