The governments of China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have agreed to set up a centre in China where the six countries can work together to find solutions to water resource management problems, the Mekong River Commission said in a statement released yesterday.

The statement said the agreement was reached on March 23 during the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting in Sanya.

The Chinese centre would be used to discuss water use issues, research drought and flood management, and share data, it said.

“The new framework would present a new opportunity for the MRC to strengthen ties with China and Myanmar, and we believe that we could and are ready to contribute to the new regional cooperation in water resource management with our 20 years of experience in that field,” Pham Tuan Phan, chief executive of the MRC Secretariat, said in the statement.