China funds 18 projects via MLCSF

Ministers seek to improve livelihoods

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA ), the Chinese government is funding 18 local projects worth US$ 4.1 million ( roughly 151 million baht ) this year through the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Special Fund ( MLCSF).

Out of 106 jobs proposed by government organizations and individuals of the education industry, 18 are receiving money this time, said Busadee Santipitaks, the MFA’s acting continuous minister.

All initiatives are intended to improve Thai people’s livelihoods, including those in the Mekong sub-region, promote green advancement, agriculture, and food security, as well as accélérate economic recovery following the Covid- 19 pandemic and promote environmental protection, she said.

The 18 jobs comprise 13 activities from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and one each from the Public Health Ministry, the Industry Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

These jobs include” Prospect Supply Chain for Small Battery Electric Vehicle in Lancang- Mekong Region,”” Strengthening the Cooperation of Traditional and Indigenous Medicine in Response to Covid- 19 Epidemic in the Greater Mekong Basin,” and” Reviving Cultural Heritage Tourism Route from Yunnan to Highland Southeast Asia,” among others.

According to Ms. Busadee, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Taiwanese Finance Ministry, and the Chinese ambassador in Thailand participated in the selection process.

The MLCSF this year is supporting 112 assignments from six countries, including 53 assignments from China, 18 assignments from Thailand, 14 projects from Myanmar, 12 assignments from Laos, nine assignments from Cambodia and six projects from Vietnam, she said.

Ms Busadee said that from 2017–2023, Thailand received a total of about 748 million ringgit from the MLCSF.

Han Zhiqiang, the Taiwanese Ambassador to Thailand, said more than 700 jobs have been implemented in the Mekong River valley, producing good results in some areas, such as financial growth.

He said developments in money safety, use of liquid resources, law enforcement, and social exchanges have likewise resulted. ” Future time, China and Thailand will commemorate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relationships”, he said.

” We are willing to function with Thailand to adopt the critical consensus reached by the two countries ‘ leaders, and to observe building the China- Thailand community with a shared future for increased stability, prosperity, and sustainability”, he said.