PHNOM PENH: Hundreds of people took part in a five-km fun run along the Mekong riverbank here in the capital of Cambodia on Saturday (March 28) to celebrate the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Week 2026 and the LMC's 10th anniversary.
Speaking at the event, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn said that the event reflected a strong partnership and long-lasting friendship among LMC member countries.
"The Lancang-Mekong river is a vivid symbol of cooperation, resilience and connectivity among all countries along the river," he said.
"We all have obligations and common responsibilities to protect, manage and preserve its valuable resources for the current and future generations."
Sokhonn said that over the past decade, the LMC had become the most dynamic and promising sub-regional cooperation mechanism, delivering fruitful results to all member countries.
With support from the LMC Special Fund, the LMC mechanism has played an important role in supporting development priorities that respond to the needs of people living along the Lancang-Mekong River, he said.
He said that Cambodia has so far received 106 projects funded by the LMC Special Fund.
"These initiatives have not only improved livelihoods, but also strengthened national connectivity, enhanced rural development, and reinforced the effectiveness of the LMC model, deepening the bonds of friendship among our nations," he said.
Sokhonn expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of China for their generous and continued support in funding LMC projects, saying that their steadfast commitment has greatly boosted Cambodia's development priorities and strengthened sub-regional cooperation.
Comprised of six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the LMC has centered on five priority areas, namely connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources management, and agriculture and poverty reduction.
Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin said the LMC has provided tremendous tangible benefits to people in the six LMC member countries.
"The attendance of you all here today truly reflects your support for the LMC," he told the event with more than 500 fun runners.
"We run today for charitable causes, friendship, peace and cooperation among the LMC countries."
Ambassador Wang said China will continue to accelerate its cooperation with all LMC member countries for greater mutual benefits in order to build "another golden decade" of the LMC.
Kan Sreyroth, a 24-year-old runner, said the event was crucial to raise awareness of the LMC among local people.
"I'm really happy to join this event," she said. "I wish for cohesion among the peoples in the Lancang-Mekong countries for common development, stability and peace in our community."
Kith Visal, another 25-year-old runner, said he would like to see the Lancang Mekong subregion become a community with a shared future with peace, stability, harmony and common development.
"I'm delighted to join this event, which is held to celebrate the LMC's 10th anniversary," he added.
"I wish the six LMC countries would continue close cooperation in economics and other fields towards building a community."
At the event, Sokhonn and Wang also awarded the winners, as proceeds raised from the event will be donated to the Kantha Bopha children's hospitals in the kingdom.
Originating from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in southwest China, the 4,880-km river is called the Lancang River in China and the Mekong River as it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the sea. - Xinhua
