H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR and his delegation attended the 2^nd Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on January 10-11, 2018.

The meeting was entitled “Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development” with the co-chaired by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, which also brought together Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Myanmar Vice President U Myint Swe.

The leaders of the six MLC member countries adopted four documents as following: (1) the Phnom Penh Declaration titled “Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development” whose main parts related to political and security cooperation, economic and sustainable development cooperation, cooperation in the social and cultural sectors and people-to-people exchanges; and support for cooperation, (2) the five-year plan of action (2018-2022) that focusing on development goals, basic principles, working structure, practical cooperative work and supporting systems, (3) the Joint List of Second Batch of Cooperation projects proposed by member countries to receive support from China in the second phase, with Laos proposing 26 projects, (4) the Reports of the Six Joint Working Groups of Priority Areas in the Mekong-Lancang cooperation framework on connectivity, cooperation on production capacity, border-crossing economic cooperation, water resource cooperation, agriculture and poverty reduction.

At the conclusion of the summit, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith represented the Lao government in accepting from Prime Minister Hun Sen the co-chairmanship with China of the MLC cooperation framework for 2018-2020.

On this occasion, H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith praised the successful co-chairmanship by Cambodia and China from 2015-2017 and the success of the second MLC Summit. Additionally, He announced the priority obligations of Laos’ co-chairmanship which would focus on building and developing organizations and infrastructure for improved connectivity between member countries, and the implementation of measures to facilitate and promote trade, investment and tourism in the sub-region.

During the summit, H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith held bilateral talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.