BEIJING, Dec. 7 -- The eighth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Beijing on Thursday.

Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe co-chaired the meeting.

Wang hailed the progress since the seventh LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting, adding the LMC countries have steadily advanced cooperation in various fields, achieved a series of new achievements and created many new highlights.

Wang said China will pursue the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness to work with Mekong countries to jointly build a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future, jointly make the region an example for Belt and Road cooperation, a pacesetter for implementing the Global Development Initiative, a pioneer for implementing the Global Security Initiative and a front-runner for implementing the Global Civilization Initiative.

Wang suggested that LMC should focus on six areas in the next stage: building a closer community of shared future, creating a more interconnected economic development belt, creating a more secure development environment, moving towards a more digital development prospect, deepening cultural and people-to-people cooperation with more characteristics, and advocating a more inclusive cooperation concept.

The ministers spoke highly of the positive progress made in the LMC, and agreed that the LMC has become an important platform for maintaining regional peace and stability, promoting regional development and prosperity as well as the industrialization and modernization of all countries.

The parties appreciated China's positive contribution to promoting the LMC and agreed to China's proposals on the direction of work in the next stage.