The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation From A Perspective Of "The Others"

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism(LMC)is an important measure for China and the sub-regional countries to promote their economic and social development,to build a community of Lancang-Mekong countries in peace and prosperity,and to build a community of shared future for Asia.Since the establishment of LMC in March 2016,the sub-region countries have carried out fruitful cooperation in a number of key areas within only three years.The LMC has gone from the period of cultivation to the period of growth.Based on China and facing the five Mekong river countries,it is particularly important to explore the ideas of Mekong countries on all aspects at this time of LMC's transformation and upgrading.This paper focuses on overseas media reports about LMC in order to identify the cognition content from "the others" and their concerns and interests demands in LMC.The five Mekong countries have raised different interest demands for the LMC due to differences in national conditions,political environment,economic development,resource and ecological environment while countries outside the region have mainly relied on negative perceptions.Reasons for this status quo include the countries'identities,the willingness to cooperate,the participation of the cooperative groups and the influence of the large foreign countries and their position of interests.The overseas media's reports on LMC has formed an influence of an expansion of influence,an establishment of interactive platform,a setting of event agendas,meanwhile the false reports lead to a resistant force to the cooperation.This paper proposes that "the others" will have a cognitive bias in the diplomatic signal in LMC which will be a long-term objective phenomenon.China has an important position and influence as a major member of the LMC.This paper suggests that China should increase investing costs in the cooperation,rise peaceful and cooperative propaganda in water resources,carry out relevant education in the field of communication training,guide people to people exchanges to build an international social identity,and promote China's diplomatic idea to shift into a consensus and standard in the future.Through these measures would China be able to promote the sub-region countries into deeper cooperating progress and achieve the LMC's Five-year Plan of Action,in order to promote the well-beings of people and narrow the development gap,forge a community of shared future of the Lancang nations.