Sanya, March 23

Leaders from China and five neighbouring Southeast Asian countries met in a southern Chinese resort city today amid wariness but also hope for greater regional cooperation.

The inaugural Lancang-Mekong Cooperation meeting, named for the mighty waterway that begins in Tibet and discharges into the South China Sea in southern Vietnam, was framed by the Chinese and Thai co-hosts as a chance to deepen ties and cut trade deals in a fast-growing region.

The five Southeast Asian countries that run along the Mekong represent a key market for China under a sweeping strategy to boost trade and foreign investment called ‘One Belt, One Road’. China has wooed the region with eye-catching projects including a textile-making hub in Cambodia, a deep sea port in Myanmar and new railways in Thailand.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who co-hosted the summit in the city of Sanya with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, called on participants from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to improve mutual trust, enhance trade and ‘make this region an important force for stability’.