The Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance held a seminar in Nanjing on Dec. 29, 2020. Representatives of embassies and consulates from the Mekong countries in China, ASEAN-China Centre, and the first 13 city members of the cooperation alliance were in attendance and gave speeches.

Zhang Xu, vice minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, stressed the importance of collaboration between the Lancang-Mekong tourist cities. He said that tourism is an integral part of Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and cities are responsible for driving growth and development in the sector. Zhang expressed his hope that the alliance would work together to maximize each region's unique advantages for smart tourism, strengthen the bonds between culture and tourism, and lay a solid foundation for the future development of the alliance by building the Lancang-Mekong tourism brand.

During the seminar, former Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Fukang said that the event demonstrates the resilience of the Lancang-Mekong countries in facing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recovery. He encouraged all parties involved to devise a strategy for future tourism cooperation and further boost regional economic cooperation.

The Chinese representatives participating in the event said that the cooperation alliance is founded on an ethos of mutual benefits, which not only meets the needs of cultural and tourism cooperation between Lancang-Mekong countries but will also aid regional economic recovery. 

The representatives of the embassies and consulates of the Mekong countries in China praised China's leading role in improving the cooperation alliance and said they will select other cities to join the alliance as soon as possible.

Nanjing, among the first batch of Chinese member cities in the cooperation alliance, held a tourism promotion conference on the sidelines of the event, showcasing the tourism resources of the city as well as other Chinese cities.

The seminar was sponsored by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and co-organized by Nanjing Municipal People's Government and Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.