Book on efforts to share Lancang-Mekong river published in Lao

A Lao language version of Sharing the River, a book on LancangMekong cooperation, was officially launched in Vientiane, Laos’ capital, on Friday.

The river called the Lancang in China is known as the Mekong in Southeast Asian countries.

Since the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism in 2016, the publishing houses of the nations where the river flows have cooperated closely. China’s Yunnan Education Publishing House and a Lao publishing house have worked together to promote the translation work of the book into Lao.

The book is based on three cooperation pillars of the Lancang-Mekong mechanism — political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. It lists five prioritized development directions Lancang-Mekong countries: connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources and agriculture and poverty reduction.

Chinese and Laotian publishers will take this opportunity to expand cooperation areas, improve cooperation levels and introduce more quality books to meet the needs of the Chinese and Laotian people as well as peoples in the Lancang-Mekong region, according to Yunnan Publishing Corp Group, parent company of the publisher.

In another development, a charity event was launched in Vientiane last week with the support of the State Council Information Office, the Chinese embassy and Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports.

Chen Shi of Beijing MW Foundation, which helps support international education projects, said the event helps support countries in need of educational development through donations.

Books, stationery, school equipment and solar-powered flashlights will be donated for children at five primary schools in Vientiane and Oudomxay province.

It is expected that more enterprises, organizations and individuals will join the foundation to contribute to the charity mission, said Chen.

In October 2016, a similar charity event was held in Cambodia, where primary school students were given school bags, books, stationery and solar-powered flashlights.