100th joint patrol on Mekong highlights success in stabilizing region
(Xinhua) 10:06, December 13, 2020
KUNMING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Four Chinese patrol ships returned to Jingha Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday after completing the 100th Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
More than 200 law-enforcement officers and eight vessels from the four countries joined the mission that started on Tuesday, the latest edition of an ongoing operation that has boosted regional security over a period of years.
The monthly joint patrol was inaugurated in 2011 to conduct random inspections along the Mekong and crack down on drug trafficking, smuggling and other cross-border crimes in the region. The patrols have proceeded as usual this year despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic.