Companies
Plan cements Mekong cooperation
China, 5 other nations to boost connectivity, use of river resources
Premier Li Keqiang consults with Yuan Longping (left), known as “the father of hybrid rice”, during an exhibition on Lancang-Mekong cooperation in Sanya, Hainan province, on Wednesday. WU ZHIYI / CHINA DAILY
China and five other countries along the 5,000-km Lancang-Mekong River agreed on Wednesday on a sweeping plan to deepen cooperation and build a comprehensive connectivity network covering railways, highways, waterways, ports and aviation.
China also promised 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) in preferential loans and a credit line of $10 billion to support infrastructure and production capacity projects in cooperation with the countries.
Premier Li Keqiang announced the loans and the agreement in Sanya, Hainan province, at the first meeting of the leaders from the six countries along the river.
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting also discussed the use of water resources, and China vowed to take measures to support improvement of living conditions in downstream areas along the river.
The Mekong River, whose upper part is known in China as the Lancang River, is an important water source for the five countries on the Indochinese Peninsula — Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam — and it nourishes a population of 326 million.
Beijing announced last week that it will provide an emergency water supply through April 10 to countries along the river to deal with drought.
“That demonstrates China’s sincerity toward improving living conditions in countries along the Mekong River,” Premier Li said at a joint news conference after the meeting.
He announced that China will use $200 million from its South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to help the five nations to realize the targets set in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China also will provide $300 million to support small and medium-sized cooperation projects…
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