PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Global Center for Mekong Studies (GCMS) was launched here on Thursday with the aim of promoting academic exchanges and providing intellectual support for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC).
Cambodian Prince Norodom Sirivudh, chairman of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), announced the launch of the GCMS during a ceremony attended by representatives of six top think tanks from LMC members.
The six top think tanks included CICP, the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), Lao's Institute of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS), Thailand's Devawongse Varopakarm Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV).
Speaking during the launching ceremony, Zuo Wenxing, political counsellor of the Chinese embassy to Cambodia, said LMC was a new type of sub-regional cooperation, which had achieved great progress.
"Global Center for Mekong Studies could make intellectual support to LMC for its sustainable development," she said.
Sok Siphana, an advisor of the royal government of Cambodia, said LMC needed new ideas and support from all walks of life from the six LMC states in order to build stronger mutual trust, reduce developmental gap and promote synergy with other initiatives in this region.
Rong Ying, CIIS's vice president and director of GCMS-China Center, said GCMS was an open, shared and public platform for all participants.
"GCMS will widely invite famous experts and related research institutions in this region and around the world, providing strong intellectual support for LMC by collecting strength from every aspect," he said.
LMC is the first sub-regional cooperation mechanism that includes all basin countries of Lancang-Mekong River.
It was founded by an agreement among Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Since its inception in March 2016, the LMC has made steady progress and is now being ushered into a new stage of full implementation from the initiation phase. A great amount of concrete cooperation programs have been practiced in this region.
