PM to attend 1st Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, Boao Forum for Asia

BANGKOK, March 19 (TNA) -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his delegation is scheduled to attend the 1st Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) and Boao Forum for Asia in China during next week. Maj Gen Werachon Sukhondhapatipak, Deputy Government Spokesperson, said Gen Prayut together with Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, and Gen Wilas Aroonsri, PM’s Secretary General, is scheduled to attend the 1st Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) in Sanya, and Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, Hainan, China during March 22-24. MLC members comprise Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, and China. It is a cooperation framework developed by China from Thailand’s 2012 initiative which proposed a cooperation framework for sustainable development in the Mekong Region. The 1st MLC will be held under the topic “Shared River, Shared Future”. On this occasion, China invited the Prime Minister to co-chair the session with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. MLC priority areas are in line with the 3 Pillars of ASEAN, namely, (1) Political and Security Issues, (2) Economic and Sustainable Development, and (3) Social, Cultural, and People-to-People Exchanges. It covers cooperation under the following 5 areas: 1) promotion of connectivity, 2) industrial cooperation, 3) cross-border economic cooperation, 4) water management, and 5) agriculture and poverty reduction. The objective of the MLC framework is to enhance capacity in national development of the Mekong countries, reduce disparity and development gap which is relevant with the ASEAN agenda in reducing development gap and promoting sustainable development of the Mekong countries. It also reflects the importance of realizing sustainable development agenda by 2030 and served as an important example of South-South cooperation, which complement Thailand’s role as the Chair of the G-77 in 2016 and the country’s opportunity in exchanging knowledge on Royal Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy with the Mekong countries. The meeting outcomes include: 1) Draft Sanya Declaration 1) Sanya Declaration of the 1st MLC Leaders’ Meeting, 2) Draft Joint Statement of the Production Capacity Cooperation of the MLC Countries, and 3) Joint List of the MLC Early Harvest Projects. Prime Minister’s missions at the meetings include attending welcome dinner, co-chairing the meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, visiting exhibition on cooperation of member countries, attending press conference, meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, and attending opening ceremony of Boao Forum for Asia. (TNA)