The first Lancang-Mekong Fruit Festival and Lancang-Mekong Agricultural and Rural Development Cooperation Forum were held in Beijing on July 5, 2021. Opening ceremony attendees included more than 100 people from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassies of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam; the Representative Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in China; as well as representatives of relevant associations, fruit enterprises and villages and communities.

Wei Zhenglin, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that with the joint efforts of the six countries, the agricultural cooperation among the Lancang-Mekong countries has made positive progress, which has effectively promoted green agricultural development in the region, increased farmers' income, and boosted rural prosperity. He hoped that the six countries will continue to advance the agricultural cooperation, which responds to people's desires and benefits the people's wellbeing, focusing on wide participation.

Fang Hong, deputy director of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, as well as the fifth anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation. It is hoped that through this event, the resources of industry associations, leading enterprises, and grassroots villages in the six countries will be fully mobilized to further tap the potential of agricultural cooperation. She hoped the six countries will continue to share experiences in rural development, and jointly build a new platform for agricultural cooperation in order to contribute to the building of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin Economic Development Belt and promote economic recovery and regional prosperity.

Pathumwadee Imtour, minister-counselor of the Thai Embassy in China, Li Hongtao, deputy director of the Center for Foreign Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Zhang Zhongjun, assistant representative of FAO China, delivered speeches respectively, expressing their hopes that the Lancang-Mekong Fruit Festival will serve as an opportunity for pooling in resources from a variety of participants from both China and the Mekong countries and tap the potential for further cooperation in fruit products.

The Fruit Festival is part of a series of activities celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation. During the Fruit Festival, various activities will be held across more than 100 Chinese cities to promote fruits from the Mekong countries.