Sanya Declaration of the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting

– For a Community of Shared Future of Peace and Prosperity among Lancang-Mekong Countries

We, the Heads of State/Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the First Lancang Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting in Sanya, China on 23 March 2016;

Recognizing that our six countries are linked by mountains and rivers, share cultural similarities and enjoy good neighborliness and strong friendship, and that our security and development interests are closely inter-connected;

Noting with pleasure that our six countries enjoy deepening political trust and sound cooperation through establishment of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnerships, and multilateral coordination in regional and international frameworks in boosting peace, stability and development of the region and the world at large;

Acknowledging that our six countries, all located in the Lancang-Mekong area, face common tasks of developing the economy and improving people's living standards while, at the same time, face common challenges such as the increasing downward trend of the global and regional economy and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, natural disasters, climate change, environmental problems, and pandemics;

Recalling that, H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, proposed the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework at the 17th China-ASEAN Summit, echoing Thailand's initiative on sustainable development of the Lancang-Mekong Sub-region;

Affirming the shared vision of the six member countries that the LMC would contribute to the economic and social development of sub-regional countries, enhance well-being of our people, narrow the development gap among regional countries and support ASEAN Community building as well as promoting the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and advancing South-South cooperation;

Welcoming the successful convening of the First LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 12 November 2015 in Jinghong, Yunnan Province, China, which issued the Concept Paper on the Framework of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and the Joint Press Communique of the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting;

Reaffirming our commitment to peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity of the sub-region and our resolve to strengthen mutual trust and understanding and join forces in addressing economic, social and environmental challenges faced by the sub-region to realize its enormous potentials for development; 

Stressing that LMC shall follow the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, tally with the priority areas of ASEAN Community building and ASEAN-China cooperation, and complement and develop in synergy with existing sub-regional cooperation mechanisms;

Further Stressing that LMC will be based on the principles of consensus, equality, mutual consultation and coordination, voluntarism, common contribution and shared benefits, and respect for the United Nations Charter and international laws;

Sharing the view that LMC will be conducted within a framework featuring leaders' guidance, all-round cooperation and broad participation, and follow a government-guided, multiple-participation, and project-oriented model and that the LMC is aimed at building a community of shared future of peace and prosperity and establishing the LMC as an example of a new type of international relations, featuring win–win cooperation;

Agreeing that LMC practical cooperation will be carried out through the three cooperation pillars, namely (1) political and security issues, (2) economic and sustainable development, and (3) social, cultural and people -to-people exchanges;

Endorsing the view that practical cooperation will start with five key priority areas during the initial stage of the LMC, namely connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction, as agreed upon at the First LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting;

Hereby agree to take the following measures:

1. Promote high-level exchanges, dialogue and cooperation to enhance trust and understanding in the sub-region with a view to strengthening sustainable security;

2. Encourage parliaments, government officials, defense and law enforcement personnel, political parties and civil societies to enhance exchanges and cooperation and increase mutual trust and understanding. Support activities such as LMC policy dialogue and officials' exchange programs;

3. Deepen law enforcement and security cooperation through information exchange, capacity building and coordination of joint operations, in accordance with rules, regulations and procedures of each member country; support the establishment of a law enforcement cooperation institution to facilitate such cooperation;

4. Enhance cooperation against non–traditional security threats, including terrorism, transnational crimes, and natural disasters; promote cooperation in addressing climate change impacts, humanitarian assistance, ensuring food, water and energy security;

5. Advance the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, and strengthen cooperation under the framework of ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and other regional cooperation mechanisms;

6. Encourage synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative and LMC activities and projects, as well as relevant development programs of the Mekong countries, including the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC);

7. Step up both hardware and software connectivity among the LMC countries. Improve the Lancang-Mekong rivers, roads and railways network, push forward key infrastructure projects to build a comprehensive connectivity network of highway, railway, waterway, ports and air linkages in the Lancang-Mekong region; expedite the construction of network of power grids, telecommunication and the Internet; implement trade facilitation measures, promote trade and investment and facilitate business travel;

8. Expand production capacity cooperation in areas such as engineering, production of the building materials, supporting industries, machinery and equipment, power, renewable energy to build a sub-regional comprehensive industrial link in a joint endeavor to tackle challenges faced by members' economies, as reflected in the Joint Statement on Production Capacity Cooperation among Lancang-Mekong Countries adopted at this Meeting;

9. Support enhanced economic and technological cooperation and the development of economic zones in border areas, industrial zones and sci-tech parks;

10. Enhance cooperation among LMC countries in sustainable water resources management and utilization through activities such as the establishment of a center in China for Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation to serve as a platform for LMC countries to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in technical exchanges, capacity building, drought and flood management, data and information sharing, conducting joint research and analysis related to Lancang-Mekong river resources;

11. Carry out technical exchanges and capacity building cooperation in agriculture, establish more agricultural technology centers and high-quality, high-yield demonstration stations (bases) in Mekong countries, strengthen cooperation in fishery and animal husbandry, and food security and elevate the level of agricultural development;

12. Implement the "Cooperation Initiative on Poverty Reduction in East Asia", establish poverty reduction model bases in the Mekong countries, enhance experience sharing and implement relevant projects;

13. Emphasize the importance of a stable financial market and sound financial structure to the development of real economy; support efforts to enhance capacity for and coordination on financial supervision and regulations; continue studies and exchange experiences in order to facilitate the use of bilateral currency swap, local currency settlement and cooperation among financial institutions;

14. Support efficient operation of AIIB as members of AIIB and seek support from AIIB in addressing the financing gap in infrastructure development;

15. Encourage sustainable and green development, enhance environmental protection and natural resources management; develop and utilize sustainably and efficiently clean energy sources, develop regional power market, and enhance exchange and transfer of clean energy technologies;

16. Work together to push forward the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations and look forward to the conclusion of the negotiations in 2016, and promote trade and investment facilitation in East Asia;

17. Strengthen cultural exchanges among member countries, support exchanges and cooperation among cultural organizations and artists, explore the possibility of building a Lancang-Mekong cultural exchange platform, give full play to the role of cultural centers set up by governments and carry out various forms of cultural exchanges;

18. Advance cooperation and experience sharing in science and technology; deepen cooperation in human resource development, educational policy and professional training, exchanges among educational authorities, universities and colleges;

19. Expand cooperation in public health, particularly the areas of epidemic monitoring, joint prevention and control, technology and equipment, and personnel training, work for the establishment of a Lancang-Mekong tropical disease monitoring and early warning platform. Promote cooperation in traditional medicine;

20. Increase tourism exchanges and cooperation, improve tourism environment, enhance regional tourism facilitation, and strive to establish a Lancang-Mekong tourist cities cooperation alliance;

21. Encourage exchanges among the mass media, think tanks, women and youth, build a think tank network and media forum of the six countries, and continue to carry out Lancang-Mekong youth exchange events;

22. Hold LMC Leaders' Meeting once every two years, and ad hoc or informal leaders' meetings as needed, to map out strategic planning for long-term LMC development; hold LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting once a year to conduct policy planning and coordination for cooperation; hold senior diplomatic officials' meetings and working group meetings as necessary to discuss cooperation in specific fields; improve LMC institutional building in accordance with future cooperation needs;

23. Welcome China's commitment to establish a LMC Fund, provide concessional loans and special loans, and provide 18,000 person-year scholarships and 5,000 training opportunities to candidates from Mekong countries in the next 3 years to support closer cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries;

24. Endorse the joint list of "early harvest" projects, and look forward to their early implementation for the benefits of all member countries. Joint working groups shall be established by the line agencies of member countries to develop and implement LMC projects;

25. Strengthen cooperation in personnel training in various fields to improve capacity building of the Lancang-Mekong countries, and provide intellectual support to the long-term development of LMC;

26. Encourage closer exchanges among government agencies, local provinces and districts, business associations and non-governmental organizations of our six countries to discuss and carry out relevant cooperation.