Da Nang (VNA) – The Department of the Foreign Affairs of Da Nang and the Chinese Consulate General in the central city had a working session on March 21, discussing ways to bolster Mekong – Lancang collaboration.

Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Xuan Binh stressed that the cooperation mechanism, involving the six river basin nations of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, has been a crucial framework contributing to the sustainable development of the region.

Da Nang holds an advantageous geographical position as a gateway to the sea of the East-West economic corridor, boasting potential to become part of the global supply and production chain, he said, adding the city has developed and carried out various incentives to turn itself into a major socio-economic hub of the nation and establish a logistics service supply chain in the central region.

Binh suggested that efforts should focus on promoting capacity-building programmes and experience exchanges between Da Nang and Chinese localities regarding innovative ecosystem development and emerging technologies like AI and smart city building. He suggested that China should provide support for Da Nang to develop and implement projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change, ensure sustainable water resource management, and strengthen tourism connections among the Mekong – Lancang countries.

Chinese Consul General Dong Biyou noted that the cooperation mechanism is a new type of regional cooperation built on the principles of joint consultation, construction, and sharing among the six nations so as to promote the neighbourly friendship, enhance substantive cooperation, and advanced socio-economic development in the countries to improve people’s lives.

Dong stressed that China stands ready to cooperate closely with the Mekong countries to enhance collaboration in the fields of politics, security, economy, trade, communication, agriculture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnam's central region has recently implemented significant development policies, including the establishment of the Da Nang free trade zone, a regional financial centre, and administrative reforms, opening up cooperation opportunities with China.

The diplomat said she hoped the Vietnamese central localities will step up collaboration with China in law enforcement and information sharing, create favourable conditions for Chinese enterprises to land investment and do business in the region, while working with media organisations to increase awareness of cooperation achievements and the latest developments in the bilateral ties.

✨ The Mekong-Lancang cooperation mechanism was proposed by China in November 2014 and officially launched in March 2016./.