BEIJING, Dec. 25 -- Leaders of the six Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) countries pledged on Monday to jointly build a community of shared future and modernization in the region.

In a declaration issued following the fourth MLC Leaders' Meeting held virtually, leaders from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam reaffirmed that they will continue to enhance mutual trust and respect, synergize national development strategies, deepen practical cooperation, and respond to challenges collectively.

The leaders agreed to work together to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Mekong-Lancang sub-region, and make greater efforts towards building a better community of shared future of peace and prosperity among Mekong-Lancang countries.

According to the "Nay Pyi Taw Declaration," the leaders reaffirmed commitments to working together to address common challenges, agreed to advance a people-centered development of the Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt (LMEDB), and seize opportunities from new scientific and technological advancement, as well as industrial transformation to boost economic recovery, regional prosperity and revitalization.

They expressed the readiness to further deepen cooperation across various fields, work hand in hand to promote sustainable economic growth, and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

They reaffirmed their determination to boost the MLC under the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, respect for and compliance with the UN Charter and international laws as well as the ASEAN Charter, domestic laws and regulations of member countries, saying they will continue to uphold the concepts of equality, development, practicality and efficiency, openness and inclusiveness.

The leaders also voiced their willingness to support high-quality cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

The six MLC member countries also released a five-year plan of action on the MLC (2023-2027), which aims to deepen good neighborliness, friendship and practical cooperation among the MLC countries, drive the economic and social development, enhance the people's well-being, develop a more robust and resilient LMEDB, jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable Lancang-Mekong region, and make new strides towards a closer community of shared future of peace and prosperity among Mekong-Lancang countries.

Besides, the six countries issued joint initiatives on the MLC innovation corridor development, saying that further improving the framework of science, technology and innovation (STI) cooperation will promote economic development and social progress, and build a community of shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries.

They proposed to further leverage the role of STI cooperation in various issues on Lancang-Mekong regional cooperation, strengthen STI talents exchanges, leverage the role of STI in poverty alleviation cooperation, enhance STI cooperation to support industrial development, support STI cooperation in public health, deepen STI digital cooperation, improve green technology cooperation, promote global cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem, and explore the possibility to establish a meeting mechanism for the MLC innovation corridor.