Cooperation is the key, Li tells LMC leaders at meeting

Guo Yanjun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian Studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the declaration shows that the LMC is a framework reflecting the demands and consensus of the all six participating countries, and the training that China provides will be crucial to the next stage in the development of the LMC.

"Such training will improve competence of senior officials of the other five countries and improve their livelihoods, thus building a better foundation for LMC growth," Guo said.

Statistics show that in 2016 more than 50,000 students from the five countries along the Mekong River received educations in China. Among those, 6,500 received scholarships from China. Since the LMC started in 2016, 332 flights between China and the five other countries have been added.

From January to October 2017, trade volume between China and the five Mekong countries reached $177.6 billion, a 15.6 percent increase from a year earlier.

On Wednesday, Li also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.