The first senior officials' meeting of Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation was held Monday in Beijing and senior officials from China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam discussed the concept paper for establishing the Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism, including its objectives, direction and priority areas.

Establishing the Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism, which is conducive to maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity, serves the common interests of the six countries and meets the common aspiration and expectation of our peoples, said Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin, co-chairing the meeting with Deputy Permanent Secretary Noppadon Theppitak of the Foreign Ministry of Thailand.

China proposed to hold a foreign ministers' meeting and a meeting of senior foreign affairs officials in 2015 during the China-ASEAN Summit held last year in Myanmar, which received positive response from the relevant countries.

The Lancang-Mekong River runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and serves as a natural bond that links the six countries together.

(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2015)