BANGKOK, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China offered 1.7 million U.S. dollars from the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund to Thailand on Wednesday to boost cross-border economy and trade, business exchange and e-commerce.

Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian and Permanent Secretary of Thai Ministry of Commerce Nuntawan Sakuntanaga signed the cooperation agreement on LMC Special Fund projects here on Wednesday.

China initiated the LMC Special Fund during the first LMC Leaders' meeting in Sanya of China's southern Hainan province in March 2016 with the aim of supporting the small and medium-sized cooperation projects put forward by the six Lancang-Mekong countries.

The six Lancang-Mekong countries include China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Lyu said during the signing ceremony, "our six countries have worked together in the past two years to turn the idea of LMC into reality, bringing benefits to our six countries and the region."

Lyu said the Mekong countries will gain greater benefits as China will expand opening-up and continue to increase its input in the LMC.

China will keep close cooperation with Thailand to deliver visible and tangible benefits to people in the region, Lyu added.

Sontirat thanked the Chinese government for financially supporting the LMC cooperation and said the cooperation agreement will facilitate the LMC member countries to achieve their goals on social and economic development and help to transform "the Mekong into a river of peace, prosperity and progress."

The ministry also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mekong Institute, an intergovernmental organization serving Lancang-Mekong countries to boost economic growth in the region.