Chinese leaders have repeatedly articulated the country’s commitment to regional cooperation. In 1993 then Chinese President Jiang Zemin spoke of progress on the upstream Mekong River when he met Thailand’s Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Four years later he and the ASEAN leader jointly declared that China and ASEAN have a shared interest in the development of the Mekong basin, and promised to support the GMS through trade, tourism and transportation activities (people’s Daily, 17 December 1997). At the first summit meeting for GMS cooperation in 2002, Zhu Rongji declared: “ We hope to participate in GMS cooperation in a larger scope and with a more vigorous attitude’’ (people Daily, 14 November 2002). The following year premier Wen Jiabao explaned China’s policy toward its neighbors as a win-win strategy that would deepen regional and subregional cooperation, pushing regional economic integration and realized co-development in Asia.