KUNMING -- The Lancang-Mekong Environmental Protection Center has been inaugurated in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The center aims to deepen cooperation in environmental protection between the six countries along the river, known in China as the Lancang River.

It is a concrete measure in implementing Lancang-Mekong environmental cooperation policies and building a cooperation platform for regional environmental protection, said Zhou Guomei, deputy head of the center, at the inauguration ceremony.

The inauguration was one of the activities held during the first Lancang-Mekong Week, which started March 19. At the event, representatives from the six countries discussed and shared experiences on water pollution control and other environmental protection issues.

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism jointly established by Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Priority areas under the mechanism include connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture, and poverty reduction.