(KPL)  The 2025 Young Diplomat Forum and Mekong-Lancang Summit took place on March 20, 2025, in Vientiane, with support from the Mekong-Lancang Special Fund. The event was chaired and officially opened by Mr. Somboun Sihanath, Director of the Department of Economy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior official of Laos’ Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Framework. Also in attendance was Mr. Du Sangsin, Head of the Political Department at the Chinese Embassy in Laos, alongside representatives from the embassies of Mekong member countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam), as well as officials from various ministries and departments within the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The forum provided a platform for young diplomats from Mekong member countries to exchange views and lessons on international relations, diplomatic policies, and regional and global issues. Participants attended a lecture and discussion on the topic "The Role of Young Diplomats in the Future," led by Mr. Yong Chanthalangsy, Lao Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and former Lao Ambassador to France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Nations in Geneva Mr. Bounthavy Sisuphanthong, President of Souphanouvong University Council and former Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.

Since 2017, Mekong-Lancang member countries have annually celebrated Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Week on March 23, marking the establishment of the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Framework. In 2025, Laos hosted three key activities of an official article by Mr. Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Foreign Affairs, celebrating the framework’s 9th anniversary, the Young Diplomat Forum, incorporated as part of the anniversary celebrations and​ a photo exhibition on Mekong-Lancang cooperation, displayed outside the meeting venue for attendees.

The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Framework was officially established on March 23, 2016, during the first Mekong-Lancang Leaders' Meeting in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. It comprises six member countries: Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The cooperation aims to maintain peace and stability, promote regional development, and foster sustainable collaboration for mutual benefit. It is built on three pillars of​ political and Security Cooperation, Economic and Sustainable Development​ and​Social, Cultural, and People-to-People Exchanges.​

Additionally, it focuses on five priority areas of​ Connectivity, Industrial Production Capacity, Cross-border Economy, Water Resource Management​and​ Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation.​

The 2025 Young Diplomat Forum and Mekong-Lancang Summit reinforced regional cooperation by equipping the next generation of diplomats with knowledge and experience to shape the future of Mekong-Lancang relations.

KPL