Wang Yi Meets Thai, Lao, Myanmar Officials Ahead of Lancang-Mekong Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The bilateral meetings ahead of the Lancang-Mekong gathering signal that Beijing is using the multilateral format as cover for one-on-one groundwork, with Thailand, Laos and Myanmar each getting separate face time before the group sits down. The notable detail is Myanmar's representation at the investment ministry rather than the foreign ministry, which points to economic portfolios carrying the relationship even as political conditions remain unsettled. Whether this pre-meeting choreography translates into concrete coordination at the ministers' level is the open question.