The inaugural Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting will be held on March 23 in Sanya, South China's Hainan province. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will meet with the leaders from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

According to the media, the LMC will contribute to the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and help build the ASEAN Community through the three cooperation pillars of political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the LMC mechanism will enhance ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, as well as the Greater Mekong Sub-region, ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation, and synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative and LMC activities and projects in five priority areas, namely connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty alleviation.

The Ministry said the current key challenges for the LMC are the downward trend of global and regional economic growth, poverty reduction, development gaps, water resources management, and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, natural disasters, climate change, environmental problems, and pandemics.

The LMC aims to promote high-level exchanges, dialogue and cooperation to enhance mutual trust and understanding, and implement the Cooperation Initiative on Poverty Reduction in East Asia in order to deal with these challenges.

In this process, China will play the role of key partner to implement the vision of the LMC.