PHNOM — The second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders’ meeting kicked off in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Jan 10, with a theme of “Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development.”

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the meeting, 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.

In his opening remarks, Hun Sen said the Sanya Declaration of the first LMC leaders’ meeting was a promise by the six Lancang-Mekong countries to develop the newly-established LMC into a full cooperation mechanism that would bring peace, security, economic growth and prosperity for the region.

“Our regional experience has reaffirmed that we can achieve peaceful co-existence through mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” he said.

“This is consistent with the values of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation which adhere to the principles of consensus, equality, mutual consultation and coordinated voluntarism, common contribution and shared benefits, and respect for the United Nation Charter and international law.”

Initiated by China in 2014, the LMC consists of six countries — China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. It focuses on five priority areas of cooperation: connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources management, as well as agriculture and poverty reduction.