Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

Lancang-Mekong Fund provides funding to Laos for projects in 2023

Funder	Unspecified Chinese Government Institution
Recipient Organization	Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund
Country	Lao People's Democratic Republic
Start Date	Jun 27, 2023
End Date	Oct 11, 2030
Duration	2,663 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`108678`

Grant Description

In 2023, Laos received funding from the Lancang-Mekong Fund for more than 10 projects.

Some of those projects are: - a project to improve water sanitation (Record ID# 108461) - a project to improve urban waste management and recycling - a project to promote youth vocational training

📋 Staff Comments

1. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism was originally established at the 17th China-ASEAN Summit on November 13, 2014. Then, on March 23, 2016, the Chinese Government announced the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund which would provide USD 300 million in concessional loans over 5-years (2016-2021) for small- and medium-sized cooperation projects in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Since 2021, each country has signed individual MoU's with the Chinese government to continue financing for projects under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund. It is unclear if the new MoU's are financed through concessional loans as well. Most projects funded through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (LMCSF) do not contain repayment terms or appear on government agency or company financial statements as borrowings, thus AidData has decided to code post-2021 LMCSF projects as grants.

📚 Sources & References

姜再冬大使在2023年澜湄合作专项基金项目合作协议签字仪式上的讲话
姜再冬大使在2023年澜湄合作专项基金项目合作协议签字仪式上的讲话 Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.