6 countries vow water cooperation

Nations along Lancang-Mekong River work together to fight climate change

Lancang-Mekong River countries have vowed strengthened cooperation on water resources management as they forge ahead to cope with common challenges in the basin, including drought caused by climate change.

Heads of water resources authorities of the six countries made the remarks as they gathered online on Tuesday for the Second Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum.

Themed "Working Together to Address Challenges and Promote Common Development", the forum will end on Wednesday.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang in China, is a vital waterway that stretches across China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

"The six Lancang-Mekong countries drink water from the same river and are as close as one family. We are naturally bonded and well positioned to work together and deepen cooperation," Water Resources Minister Li Guoying said when addressing the forum's opening ceremony in Beijing.

Li noted fruitful results achieved by the six countries as they pooled their strengths to put Lancang-Mekong water cooperation onto a fast track in the past five years.

Policy dialogue and technical exchanges between the countries have been strengthened, he said, citing the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center in China as an example.

He said the strategies, standards and policies of the six countries have been further aligned, and a consensus on cooperation has been forged.

Since last year, China has been sharing the Lancang's whole-year hydrological data with Mekong countries, he said, adding that the website of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Information Sharing Platform was also launched last year.

Li called on countries to focus on the common vision and work together to improve Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation.

"The Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation mechanism should be further upgraded, and the leading role of the ministerial meeting as an overarching framework should be brought into full play," he said.

Efforts should be made to develop the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum into an international platform for cooperation and exchange, so as to pool the "LMC wisdom" and propose the "LMC solution", he said.

Lauding the achievements made in Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation, Lim Kean Hor, Cambodia's minister of water resources and meteorology, also called for cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries to be strengthened to cope with emerging challenges in the basin.

The Lancang-Mekong River provides the six countries with water and other related resources to support sustainable development in the basin, as well as peoples' sustainable livelihoods and well-being, he said via video link.

Among areas of focus, the countries have collaborated on studies and research, as well as exchanged best practices, he said.

Lim expressed Cambodia's sincere appreciation to China for the support it has provided to water resources development and management in Cambodia, including special funds through Lancang-Mekong cooperation for some water resource projects.

"This support is critically important and truly needed," he said, adding that it has helped contribute to sustainable economic development and social progress in Cambodia.

He said, however, that the shared river also faces many challenges due to population growth, increasing resource needs in each of the countries, rapid development in the basin, and climate change.

"The experience of critical drought and low water flow in the Mekong are our great concerns and has caused a big impact on the Mekong's shared resources and sustainability," he said.

In order to effectively overcome the common challenges and achieve sustainable outcomes, collective efforts, stronger collaboration and cooperative partnerships are required, Lim said.