Good morning! At the 6th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in June, China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, together with your Excellency and other Foreign Ministers, announced the start of another “Golden Five Year” of LMC. Today, we hold the signing ceremony of agreements on LMC Special Fund Projects by Myanmar in 2021. This embodies the consensus reached at the Foreign Mininsters’ meeting, and represents a new step of China-Myanmar cooperation under the LMC framework .

Since the very beginning, the LMC mechanism has been a down-to-earth "bulldozer" instead of a superficial "talking shop". Aimed at promoting development and people's livelihood, the LMC Special Fund has supported more than 540 projects in such fields as poverty alleviation, women, education and youth, delivering tangible benefits to people in LMC countries.

Myanmar is not only where LMC was first initiated, but also an active participant and beneficiary. From 2018 to 2020, Myanmar has undertaken 3 batches of 51 projects with the support of LMC Special fund, becoming the top 1 among LMC countries both in terms of the project numbers and the sum of funding. Today, we will sign the agreements on the 4th batch of 21 projects. All the projects are closely relevant to the improvement of livelihood and demands of Myanmar people, and demonstrates again the original aspiration and ideas of the LMC.

First, the LMC contributes to people's livelihood. Agriculture is the pillar industry in Myanmar, and its majority population are farmers. Their well-being is crucial for the whole population's livelihood. Among the 72 projects supported by the Fund, 38 of them focus on agricultural and rural development as well as farmers' prosperity. The project "Improvement of Coffee Production and Quality in Lancang-Mekong Region" has trained more than 11,000 Myanmar coffee farmers, and helped them double the yield and improve the quality of Myanmar coffee. The project "Establishment of Home Gardening for Poverty Alleviation" has enabled farmers to grow vegetables in their backyards to increase income. The project "Breeding Elite Rice Varieties and Optimizing Their Cultivation in Myanmar" has breed good rice strains that are resistant to lodging and waterlogging with shorter growth cycle, better quality and higher yield. The Fund has also supported projects on vegetable, fruits, rubber planting and sericulture, which effectively helped Myanmar people increase production and income.

Second, the LMC boosts economic development. The Fund has supported the improvement of navigation conditions in Wan Pong Port, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary cooperation, and the planting of cash crops such as Macadamia in Myanmar. The project “Photovoltaic Module Type Selection Research” contributes to the electrification in Myanmar, and the micro-finance project supports people’s production and business. Some funded projects provide skills and vocational training to Myanmar farmers, women, and other groups, helping them find jobs and start businesses. Myanmar has a long history and splendid culture. The Fund also supports projects on cultural exchanges and heritage protection, which will vitalize Myanmar's culture and tourism industry. This year, a new series of down-to-earth and pragmatic projects based on Myanmar’s needs for stable economic development will be implemented.

Third, the LMC deepens anti-pandemic cooperation. Supporting each other in need is the feature of LMC culture. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, the 6 Lancang-Mekong countries have helped each other to face the challenges and set a new benchmark for anti-pandemic cooperation. China has set up a Special Fund for Public Health under the framework of the LMC Special Fund, dispatched medical teams to Myanmar and other countries, and spared no effort to provide anti-pandemic materials and vaccines. The virus is rapidly spreading in Myanmar. Deeply concerned about Myanmar’s urgent needs, the Chinese side donated 2.5 million doses of vaccines, assisted Myanmar with its vaccine procurement from China, and opened special channels for anti-pandemic materials at the China-Myanmar borders. Vaccines, ventilators, oxygen concentrators, cylinders, masks and other materials are continuously sent into Myanmar. This year, the Fund will support Myanmar to build a Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory. Overall, we will uphold the concept of “people first, life first”, and play an active role in protecting the lives and health of the Myanmar people as Pauk-Phaw.

I firmly believe that China and Myanmar, as co-chairs of the LMC and a community of shared future through thick and thin, will continuously work together for new achievements of the LMC, and write a new chapter for the more glorious "Golden Five Years" of the LMC.