Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and leaders from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam attend the first leaders' meeting of Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation on March 22, 2016. [Photo: weibo.com]

The first leaders' meeting of Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation, or LMC, is set to be co-chaired by China and Thailand on Wednesday.

The meeting will take place in China's southern city of Sanya in Hainan province.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and leaders from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam will attend the meeting.

The five priorities of the LMC mechanism will be infrastructure, trade and investment, water resources and environment protection, poverty reduction, and agricultural development.

Vice President of China Public Diplomacy Association, Ma Zhen'gang, said the LMC mechanism is based on the common interests of the six countries along the Mekong River.

He notes that it is a new type of subregional cooperation.

"First and foremost, the mechanism was built on the principle of equality and free will. Second, it is practical as all the five priorities are the common interests of the six countries and the projects involved will benefit all members. Third, LMC is open and inclusive."

Researcher Chen Fengying from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations points out that the mechanism now involves almost a hundred projects, all of which address the urgent needs of the six countries.

"The six countries along the Mekong River share the similar political, economic and social interests. So we have reached consensus on how to carry out cooperation to promote regional development. The cooperation mechanism is welcomed by all members. We have an effective mechanism which can provide capital, technique and man power to the projects."

The framework of Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation was proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in November 2014 when he attended the 17th China-ASEAN leaders' meeting in Myanmar.

The Mekong River originates in China and runs through all the five countries on the Indo-China Peninsula. Its Chinese stretch is known as Lancang.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan