The third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Mekong – Lancang Cooperation (MLC) took place in Dali, the southwest China’s Yunnan province on December 15, with the attendance of foreign ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Vietnam.
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Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlighted Vietnam’s active and effective contributions to building the MLC working mechanism and proposing practical ideas for cooperation.
He acknowledged the MLC’s prominent outcomes in the past two years, hailing China’s role and the proactive engagement of Mekong countries.
He suggested that MLC should focus on enhancing sustainable management and use of Mekong River water resources to balance interests and responsibility of countries along the river.
Collaboration between MLC and the Mekong River Commission will better meet countries’ demand in data sharing, joint research and management capacity improvement, he said.
The Deputy PM reiterated Vietnam’s proposal to establish a hotline among MLC member countries to deal with emergency situation in Mekong River, the first of its kind for the six countries sharing the Mekong river.
Minh also called for enhancing joint work to develop a competitive agricultural sector that is resilient to climate change and able to engage in regional and global value chains by upgrading regional transport infrastructure and improving human resources training to meet demand amid the fourth industrial revolution.
Participants reviewed the implementation of outcomes of the first and second meetings and discussed measures to promote regional sustainable development.
Over the past two years, MLC member countries have completed many early-harvest projects, established a secretariat/ national coordinating centre in each country and the MLC Special Fund.
Youth exchanges, cultural and tourism cooperation held in the framework have raised mutual understanding and friendship among peoples.
The ministers agreed that MLC should do more to help narrow development gap and support the building of ASEAN Community. They approved the list of projects eligible for financial assistance provided by MLC Special Fund.
In preparation for the second MLC Summit slated for January 10 - 11, 2018 in Cambodia, the ministers agreed on contents of several documents for submission to MLC leaders, including the MLC Action Plan for 2018-2022 and the list of MLC projects, second stage.
The same day, Deputy PM Minh held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the occasion.
The Deputy PM Minh asked China to take effective measures to further boost bilateral economic-trade ties and ease Vietnam’s trade deficit, invest in projects using advanced and eco-friendly technology, as well as extend mutually-beneficial collaboration in agriculture, environment, climate change response and science-technology.
On issues at sea, he took note of recent progress in negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China. He urged ASEAN and China to soon discuss practical contents of the COC while continuing with full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and building trust, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and security in the East Sea.
The two sides vowed to facilitate high-level visits and direct ministries, agencies and localities to effective implement existing agreements and common perceptions reached by high-ranking leaders.
Also on the day, the Vietnamese Deputy PM attended the inaugural of a photo exhibition on MLC achievements and the official website of the MLC Secretariat.
Vietnam highly evaluates India’s role and contributions to regional peace, stability and development, and always regards India as one of its most important partners, the top leader said.
The Party and State leaders expressed their profound respect and boundless gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, who founded and trained the Communist Party of Vietnam and made immense contributions to the Party and nation’s glorious revolutionary cause.
The NA's Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs has moved fast to reshuffle its organisation after the 14th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 16th NA, updating its work agenda to match new directives set out in the resolutions of the 14th National Party Congress and the first Congress of the NA Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 term.
Vietnam and Croatia should strive to double bilateral trade turnover from the current level of 161 million USD; study the establishment of a Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation to create a long-term, stable, and effective framework for collaboration, said Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Jesús Faria expressed deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s indomitable struggle for national independence. He described President Ho Chi Minh as an immortal symbol of 20th-century national liberation movements, whose legacy continues to inspire leftist parties, progressive movements, and peoples across Latin America, including Venezuela.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi must rise even further, becoming a leading academic pillar, a major hub of innovation, and a pioneering force in Vietnam’s higher education system; while also serving as a distinguished and reputable representative of Vietnamese intellect on the international stage.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang shared Vietnam’s approach to building an independent and self-reliant economy linked to deep international integration, while proposing several key areas for enhanced cooperation between BRICS and partner countries at the Expanded BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting that opened on May 14 in India.
The Central Steering Committee for reviewing the one-year operation of the political system’s apparatus and the two-tier local administration model convened its first session in Hanoi on May 14.
PSNews - The spokesperson stated that the dispatch of personnel by relevant parties to features belonging to Truong Sa without Vietnam’s permission constitutes a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty under international law. She stressed that such actions run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as ongoing efforts by countries to negotiate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
PSNews - Vietnam’s proposals placed the highest priority on ensuring a peaceful and stable environment conducive for continued sustainable development and improving the well-being and happiness of the ASEAN people. They were praised by member states and incorporated into the core contents of the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the response to the Middle East crisis.
Both sides emphasised that advancing bilateral relations is a shared strategic choice, and pledged to steadfastly pursue the socialist path and jointly safeguard the socialist regimes and the leadership role of their Communist Parties as their most fundamental common strategic interest, Ambassador He Wei said.
At the meetings, the senior Vietnamese Party official affirmed that Vietnam would continue to work closely with Cambodia to strengthen and deepen bilateral ties, while consistently supporting Cambodia’s peaceful, stable and prosperous development.
Vietnam highly values the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in strengthening national capacity in crime prevention and criminal justice, drug control, and addressing emerging challenges, particularly cybercrime, said Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man underlined that digital transformation must go beyond investing in software or platforms and instead create substantive changes in working methods, advisory quality and operational efficiency.
Consolidating the central steering committees for institutional and legal reform and for judicial reform is necessary in order to streamline organisational structures without reducing responsibilities, while ensuring clear accountability, measurable outputs and concrete results. Following the restructuring, the body will be renamed the central steering committee for institutional improvement and law enforcement, with the Party General Secretary and State President serving as its head.
Bui Thi Minh Hoai was re-elected President of the the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee for the 2026-2031 tenure at the first conference of the 11th-term VFF Central Committee, held before the closing session of its 11th National Congress on May 13 morning in Hanoi.
At the meeting this week, Ambassador Viet briefed the UNGA President on developments during the first two weeks of the conference. He stressed that the current international geopolitical landscape poses numerous complex challenges, while reaffirming Vietnam’s determination, together with other member states, to promote substantive and balanced outcomes at the conference.
The host leader stressed that cooperation between localities, particularly between the capitals of Hanoi and Vientiane, plays an especially important role as a pioneering force in effectively implementing the foreign polices of the two Parties and States, while also serving as a bridge between politics and development, as well as between strategy and concrete action.
More than 1,300 delegates are attending the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for the 2026–2031 tenure, including 1,138 official delegates.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung praised ministries and agencies for their proactive steps since the beginning of this year and especially from early April to follow the Politburo’s Resolution 57 and Conclusion 18, with clear, positive progress.