CCTV9英语新闻：LMC aims to boost connectivity along Lancang-Mekong river（在线收听）

The Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation mechanism is aimed at bringing benefits to regions sitting along the river.

It costs about 3 to 5 million US dollars to build a one-kilometer expressway in the flatter regions across China, whereas in the mountainous and forested Xishuangbanna, the amount is quadrupled. Without connectivity, economic development in the Lancang-Mekong river cooperation framework will be just a pipedream.

"The 168-km-long expansion project between Jinghong to Mohan will ease the last bottleneck in the Kunming-Bangkok expressway. Upon completion, transportation via land will be more efficient in Lancang-Mekong countries," Zhang Guohui, manager of Jinghong-Mohan Expressway, said.

And it's not just the building of expressway -- projects like the railway linking Kunming to Bangkok, and the dredging of the Lancang-Mekong river are all in action.

This is one of the busiest ports along the Lancang-Mekong river. From here you can just feel how close China, Laos and Myanmar really are. That's why we say the six member countries within the Lancang-Mekong river community all drink the same water, and our fates are closely linked.

"The project of upgrading the river basin between Jinghong in China to Lang Prabang in Laos has already begun, potentially it can become a golden route in southeast Asia," Xi Yongqing, supervisor of Lancang-Mekong River Dredging Project, Guanlei Port, said.

The Lancang-Mekong river cooperation focuses on the development of the five countries in the sub-region. What's more, it boosts access to trade and investment, and the infrastructure development of the member countries whose economies are lagging behind.

"In one of the future development plans for the China-Laos border zone, we aim to narrow the gap in infrastructure development and to build a common prosperity," Leng Geping, deputy director of Xishuangbanna Development and Reform Commission, said.

Clearly, the Lancang-Mekong community is becoming a new economic center of gravity in the region. This fits well with China's "One Belt One Road" grand plan, and is also in compliance with the ASEAN Economic integration.