In News:Myanmar’s military government hosted the first high-level regional meeting since the Army took power last year with China’s Foreign Minister and counterparts from Mekong Delta nations.
The delegations met at the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group meeting held under the theme “Solidarity for Peace and Prosperity” in the central city of Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
China is Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and an old ally.
Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Myanmar’s mines, oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure and is its major arms supplier, together like Russia.
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a multilateral format established in 2016 for cooperation between the riparian states of the Lancang River and Mekong River.
The Lancang is the part of the Mekong that flows through China.
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand are five downstream countries of the Mekong River.
The central purpose of the format is for China to manage water flow from its hydropower dams with the other riparian states.
LMC Special Fund was created in 2016 to aid in small and medium-sized projects by the Lancang-Mekong countries.