Top 10 News Stories on 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Released in Luang Prabang

LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report by China Report ASEAN:

The list of Top 10 News Stories on 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation was officially released on the evening of February 4 (Beijing time) in Luang Prabang, Laos, highlighting key achievements and milestones of cooperation among the six Lancang-Mekong countries over the past year.

The release event was attended by Yu Yunquan, Vice President of China International Communications Group (CICG), Khammone Chanthachith, Deputy Head the Propaganda and Training Commission of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Vice President of the Central Theoretical Council of the Party, Khamla Lianpadit, Deputy Secretary of the Luang Prabang Provincial Party Committee, Cai Xiangrong, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, Zhang Sheping, Chinese Consul General in Luang Prabang, and Pongdong Paxaphacdy, Consul General of Laos in Kunming. Wang Dexin, Counselor of the Department of Asian Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the event via video link.

More than 200 representatives from China and the Mekong countries, including experts and scholars, participated in the event.

In his remarks, Yu Yunquan said that in 2025, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) made notable progress in areas including connectivity, economic development, people-to-people exchanges and security governance. The release of the annual top ten news stories, he noted, serves as a vivid record of these achievements and reflects the shared confidence of the six LMC countries in advancing cooperation and common development. He called for closer media collaboration, deeper cultural exchanges and innovative approaches to digital humanities cooperation to strengthen the Lancang-Mekong narrative.

Khammone Chanthachith said that the LMC mechanism has completed its first decade, during which it has made tangible contributions to Laos' socio-economic development and the deepening of Laos-China friendship. Media cooperation, he added, has helped build a solid public foundation for the Laos-China community with a shared future. The release of the Top 10 News Stories on 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation forms part of activities marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Laos and China and reflects joint efforts to promote dialogue among civilizations.

Khamla Lianpadit highlighted the role of the China-Laos Railway in boosting tourism, employment and heritage conservation in Luang Prabang. He said people-to-people ties remain a solid foundation for bilateral relations and expressed hope for expanded cooperation with China in culture, industry and youth exchanges, particularly through more community-based and youth-oriented programs.

In his video address, Wang Dexin described the LMC as an exemplar and a "golden platform" for regional cooperation. Over the past decade, he said, leaders of the six countries have provided strategic guidance, advancing both bilateral and multilateral efforts to build a community with a shared future between China and the Mekong countries.

The newly released top 10 news stories offer a vivid reflection of the tangible outcomes achieved over the past year, he noted. Looking ahead, China will continue to work with Mekong countries to expand cooperation in connectivity, industrial and supply chains, artificial intelligence and green development, while promoting the continued progress of the Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.

The event unveiled the Top 10 News Stories on 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation through a video presentation. The selected stories highlight achievements in head-of-state diplomacy, ministerial meetings on foreign affairs and law enforcement security, advancements in water resources cooperation, the development of the Lancang-Mekong Innovation Corridor, growing trade between China and Mekong countries, regional railway construction, public health initiatives, youth scientific cooperation and local government exchanges.

Participants agreed that diversified platforms and innovative communication approaches are essential to telling the story of Lancang-Mekong cooperation and fostering broader dialogue, with a view to building a closer Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.

The annual Top 10 News Stories on 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation are jointly selected by CICG Center for Asia-Pacific, Yunnan International Communication Center for South and Southeast Asia, and mainstream media from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. First launched six years ago, the initiative aims to review achievements, share experience and promote exchanges among governments, businesses, academia, agriculture and media across the Lancang-Mekong region. A tea cultural activity was also held during the release event, using tea as a medium to promote friendship and cultural exchange.

SOURCE China Report ASEAN