China eyes stronger ties with Mekong countries with ECA support

(Xinhua, Phnom Penh, 11 January 2018) China eyes stronger ties with Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the other five countries along the Lancang-Mekong river, pledging new loans, medical aids and scholarships to its neighbors. At the second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting here, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced that China will provide another 7 billion yuan (1.08 billion U.S. dollars) in government concessional loans and also the setup of a 5-billion-dollar credit line for supporting production capacity and equipment manufacturing cooperation among the Lancang-Mekong countries. As an important mechanism along the Lancang-Mekong River sub-region, the LMC mechanism has been focusing on sustainable development and pragmatic cooperation in the sub-region and serving as an important platform for implementing the Belt and Road Initiative.