2016年CRI Asian PMs Gather for Lancang- Mekong Summit in Sanya（在线收听）

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, along with his counterparts from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are attending the meetings.

The leaders have witnessed the signing of the "Sanya Declaration" which sets the tone for future cooperation.

Premier Ii notes that China and the five Mekong countries share the same river but also common interests.

He says Lancang-Mekong Cooperation - or LMC - comes as a natural result of existing cooperation.

"By establishing this new cooperation, we can create three cooperation pillars to address political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Inter-connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economy, water resources, agriculture, and poverty alleviation are five priority directions for cooperation."

He also called for all the six nations to increase mutual trust in politics and enhance cooperation in areas besides water management.

"If the countries along the Lancang-Mekong River can improve their mutual political trust, enhance their economic complement and push forward human exchanges, we will make this region an important force for regional stability and a powerful (force) in world peace, and we can make our countries have the most potential in development among the Asian developing nations."

Premier Li says China firmly supports integration of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and the Lancang-mekong cooperation will supplement China-ASEAN relations.

China is the biggest trading partner of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and the biggest source of investment in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who co-chaired the meeting with Premier Li, said the meeting is a "new chapter" in the LMC process.

"All six nations at the meeting today have a common strategic prospect which is to increase our economic cooperation and mutual trust. We want to make sure that all the nations and their people can share the benefit brought by development. It is our ultimate target to realize the sustainable development in this sub-region, and in the meantime to reduce the growth gap among the member countries and the gap between the region and extra-regional countries."

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation was proposed in 2014. It focuses on security and development, as well as political, social and cultural fields.