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D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
1
Timeline of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Mechanism
Last Updated: February 2021
David J. Devlaeminck PhD., Lecturer, School of Law
Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
djdevlaeminck@live.com
www.davidjdevlaeminck.com
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism is a newly formed, China-led initiative for cooperation on the Lancang-Mekong River.
All riparian countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) participate in this mechanism, cooperating in five
areas, one of which is water. Below is a timeline of important events, milestones, achievements and regional events, with a focus on
water resources. High-level meetings are shaded in grey.
This document is made entirely from publicly available information and will be updated as cooperation unfolds and new information
becomes available. If you see an error or would like to contribute, please contact the author at djdevlaeminck@live.com.
*The author retains copyright of this work – please cite this work appropriately and seek permission prior to republishing this
timeline in any form.
2012-2015
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
2012
Thailand proposes the Initiative on Sustainable
Development of the Lancang-Mekong Sub-region
November
12-14, 2014
Nay Pyi
Taw,
Myanmar
LMC is proposed by Li Keqiang at the 17th China-
ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
2
April 6,
2015
Beijing,
China
1st LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
July 23,
2015
Bangkok,
Thailand
1st LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
August 21,
2015
Chiang Rai,
Thailand
2nd LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
November
12, 2015
Jinghong,
Yunnan,
China
1st LMC Mechanism Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Joint Press Communiqué of the First LMC
Foreign Minister’s Meeting
Concept Paper on the Framework of LMC
2016
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
January 29,
2016
Kunming,
China
2nd LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
February 24,
2016
Sanya,
China
3rd LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
Date
Unknown,
2016
Sanya,
China
3rd LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
March 17,
2016
China Releases Press Release Concerning LMC
Five Features of LMC
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
3
March 23,
2016
Sanya,
Hainan,
China
1st LMC Leaders’ Meeting – “For a Community of
Shared Future of Peace and Prosperity Among
Lancang-Mekong Countries”
Sanya Declaration
March 31,
2016
Mekong River Commission “welcomes the new
initiative”
Press Release
November
9-11, 2016
4th LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
December
22-23, 2016
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
4th LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
December
22-23, 2016
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
5th LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
December
22-23, 2016
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
2nd Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Joint Press Communiqué of the Second
LMC Foreign Minister’s Meeting
Progress Report on the Implementation of
Outcomes of the 1st LMC Leader’s Meeting
General Principles for the Establishment of
Joint Working Groups on the LMC Priority
Areas
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
4
2017
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
September
28, 2017
Phnom
Penh,
Cambodia
Launch of the Global Centre for Mekong Studies
(GCMS)
September
29, 2017
Dali,
Yunnan,
China
6th LMC Diplomatic Joint Working Group Meeting
October 28,
2017
Kunming,
Yunnan,
China
5th LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
February 27,
2017
Beijing,
China
1st Meeting of the Joint Working Group of
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation on Water Resources
Management
Minutes of the First Meeting of Joint
Working Group on Water Resources
Cooperation of LMC
March 10,
2017
Beijing,
China
Launch of the LMC China Secretariat (Beijing)
Launch of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources
Cooperation Centre (Beijing)
Website of the LMC China Secretariat
June 12,
2017
Yunnan,
China
Launch of the Yunnan Liaison Office of the LMC
China Secretariat
November
15, 2017
Beijing,
China
Launch of the Lancang-Mekong Environmental
Cooperation Center (LMEC) (Beijing)
Lancang-Mekong Environmental Cooperation
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
5
Roundtable Dialogue
November
16th, 2017
Beijing,
China
International Workshop for Lancang-Mekong
Freshwater Management (Hosted by LMEC)
December
15, 2017
Dali,
Yunnan,
China
3rd Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Joint Press Communiqué of the Third LMC
Foreign Minister’s Meeting
List of Second Batch Projects
Reports of the Six Joint Working Groups
General Principles for the Establishment of
Joint Working Groups
LMC Key Priority Areas
December
21, 2017
Global Water Partnership (GWP) indicates that it
will work to support LMC through partnership with
GWP China, GWP Southeast Asia and China’s
Ministry of Water Resources
Press Release
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
6
2018
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
January 9,
2018
Phnom
Penh,
Cambodia
6th LMC Senior Officials’ Meeting
January 10,
2018
Phnom
Penh,
Cambodia
2nd Lancang-Mekong Leaders’ Meeting – “Our
River of Peace and Sustainable Development”
Phnom Penh Declaration
Five Year Action Plan on LMC (2018-
2022)
February 9,
2018
Vientiane,
Laos
Launch of the Lao National Water Information
Center
March 1,
2018
Chiang Rai,
Thailand
2nd Meeting of the Joint Working Group of Lancang-
Mekong Cooperation on Water Resources
Management
March 1-2,
2018
Chiang Rai,
Thailand
2nd Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Water
Resources
Minutes of the Second Meeting of JWG on
Water Resources of Mekong-Lancang
Cooperation
March 21-
24, 2018
Kunming,
China
Lancang-Mekong Roundtable Dialogue on Water
Environmental Management
Launching Ceremony of Lancang-Mekong
Environmental Cooperation Yunnan Office
May 3, 2018
Unknown
Unknown
Five-year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong
Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2022)
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
7
July 31st –
August 1st,
2018
Kunming,
China
1st Special Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Water Resources or consultation on the Five-Year
Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources
Cooperation (2018-2022)
Minutes of the First Special Meeting of
JWG for Consultation on the Draft Five-
Year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong
Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2022)
October 10-
11, 2018
Luang
Prabang,
Laos
2nd Special Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Water Resources or consultation on the Five-Year
Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources
Cooperation (2018-2022)
Minutes of the Second Special Meeting of
Joint Working Group for Consultation on
the Five-Year Action Plan on Lancang-
Mekong Water Resources Cooperation
(2018-2022)
November
1-2, 2018
Kunming,
Yunnan,
China
1st Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation
Forum
Kunming Recommendations of the 1st
Forum of Lancang-Mekong Water
Resources Cooperation
December
16-17, 2018
Luang
Prabang,
Laos
4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting – “Enhancing
Partnership for Shared Prosperity”
Joint Press Communiqué of the 4th LMC
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Progress Report of the Year 2018 on
Implementing of the LMC Five-Year Plan
of Action
2019
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
March, 2019
Lancang-Mekong Environmental Cooperation
Strategy adopted
April 2-3,
Can Tho,
3rd Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Water
Minutes of the Third Meeting of JWG on
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
8
2019
Vietnam
Resources
Water Resources of Mekong-Lancang
Cooperation
June 4-5,
2019
Kunming,
Yunnan,
China
1st Special Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Water Resource in 2019
Minutes of the First Special Meeting of
JWG on Water Resources of Lancang-
Mekong Cooperation
Memorandum of Understanding under the
Joint Working Groups of Lancang-
Mekong Water Resources Cooperation
July 5, 2019
Bangkok,
Thailand
Chinese Embassy in Thailand releases Press Release
in response to media reports
Press Release
July 17,
2019
Beijing,
China
Renewal of hydrological data sharing between China
and MRC
MRC Secretariat granted “observer status” in the
LMC Joint Working Group on Water Resources
Press Release
August 10,
2019
Nongkhai,
Thailand
Discussion of the Joint Working Group on Water
Resources
Record of the Discussion of the Joint
Working Group on Water Resources
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation
October 29-
30, 2019
Foshan,
Guangdong,
China
3rd Special Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Water Resources in 2019
Minutes of the Third Special Meeting of
JWG on Lancang-Mekong Water
Resources Cooperation in 2019
December
17, 2019
Beijing,
China
1st Ministerial Meeting of the Lancang-Mekong
Water Resources Cooperation
Joint Statement
List of Proposed Projects on Lancang-
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
9
LMC and MRC sign MoU on greater cooperation
between the two organizations
Mekong Water Resources Cooperation
LMC-MRC Memorandum of
Understanding
MRC Press Release
2020
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
Important Documents
February 20,
2020
Vientiane,
Laos
5th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign
Minister’s Meeting
Joint Press Communiqué of the 5th LMC
Foreign Minister’s Meeting
March 26,
2020
Online
3rd Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Week Activity on
Water resources
April –
August,
2020
(Ongoing)
Online
Ongoing Discussion on Regional Drought
EoE Report
Stimson Report
MRC Report
Regional Responses (1, 2)
Tsinghua Report
China Daily Article
D. J. Devlaeminck (School of Law, CQU) – February 2021
10
May 21,
2020
Online
Online Meeting Regarding Information Sharing
Platform/Water resources Management
Record of the Video Meeting of JWG on
Lancang-Mekong Water Resources
Cooperation in 2020
August 24,
2020
Online
Third Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC)
Leaders' Meeting – “Enhancing Partnership for
Shared Prosperity”
China Commits to Year-Round Information Sharing
with Lancang-Mekong Riparians
Vientiane Declaration
September
24, 2020
Online
2nd Virtual Meeting of the Joint Working Group on
Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation
December 1,
2020
Online
China launches the LMC Water Resources
Cooperation Information Sharing Platform
Website of the LMC Water Resources
Cooperation Information Sharing Platform
Planned Events
*These events and the listed dates have been mentioned in previous reports, however their actual scheduled dates
and locations are unknown.
Date
Location
Activities, Meetings and Milestones
2021
Myanmar
6th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Minister’s Meeting