(KPL) On July 15, 2025, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the People’s Republic of China held a signing ceremony for the 2025 Mekong-Lancang Special Fund Cooperation Agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane. The agreement was signed by Mr. Maithong Thammavongsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos, and Ms. Fang Hong, Ambassador of China to the Lao PDR. Officials from relevant ministries and sectors that benefit from the fund also attended the ceremony as witnesses.

Under the 2025 agreement, ten development projects have been approved for Laos, with a total value of USD 2.82 million. These initiatives cover areas such as human resource development, agriculture, water resource management, health, and poverty reduction, targeting both central and local levels.

The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) framework was officially launched on March 23, 2016, with the aim of promoting peace, sustainable development, and prosperity among its six member countries: Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. Despite global uncertainties and regional challenges, the framework has become a vital platform for multilateral collaboration, supporting key initiatives like the ASEAN Community, Belt and Road Initiative, South-South Cooperation, and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Mekong-Lancang Special Fund, announced by China in 2016 and launched in 2017, was established to turn MLC commitments into concrete actions. Since then, Laos has received 90 projects worth over USD 23 million, which have yielded tangible benefits across various sectors.

Both parties expressed confidence that the new round of funding in 2025 will bring meaningful socio-economic progress to the Mekong region and further strengthen the strategic partnership under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation framework.

KPL