A local official made this remark yesterday in Kunming at the Lancang-Mekong River Regional Trade,Investment and Development Cooperation Symposium.

He said that the province has carried out a series of development and cooperation projects with related countries in the fields of trade and conomy,tourism,transportation,technology and energy sources.

The 4,661-km Lancang-Mekong River,dubbed the "Danube of the East," runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The 2,160-km section in China is known as the Lancang River, which traverses southwest China's Yunnan Province for more than 1,000 km.

China has signed an agreement with the Thai government to jointly set up a power plant on the river with a designed generating capacity of 1.5 million kw.

The construction of the power plant will start in 2006. In 2014, the plant will begin to transmit electricity to Thailand.

At the same time,the province has made plans to build railways, highways and expressways linking Yunnan and some southeast Asian countries.

In addition,the province has enjoyed booming border trade and economic cooperation in recent years. Last year,the trade volume between Yunnan and southeast Asian countries reached US$550 million.

(eastday.com 06/08/2001)