The Lancang-Mekong region is a land-sea bridge connecting China with Southeast Asia and South Asia. There are economic and social disparities within the region due to a variety of factors. As a result of inadequate financing capacity, technology and experience for infrastructure construction, insufficient infrastructure has hindered regional economic growth and sustainable development. In recent years, countries in the region have been actively engaged in economic reform by adjusting industrial structure and expanding opening up. The move has brought great improvements in the field of infrastructure, noticeably in transportation infrastructure network connectivity, sustainable energy project development, and ecological industrial park construction. This has made important contributions to boosting regional economic growth, shaking off poverty, and improving quality of life. According to data released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2017, Southeast Asia will need to invest 3.147 trillion US dollars in infrastructure between 2016 and 2030, representing 5.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). In terms of infrastructure construction and investment, the Lancang-Mekong region will embrace immense potential and unprecedented opportunities for development.

Meanwhile, many challenges are ahead in achieving the Lancang-Mekong interconnectivity of sustainable infrastructure. Some countries with low industrial level have neither well-developed infrastructure nor adequate financing capacity for sustainable infrastructure construction. The various mechanisms for international cooperation in which the Lancang-Mekong region has been long involved vary in the priorities of sustainable development. It is important to make full use of all these experiences to push forward sustainable infrastructure development in the long run. In addition, the standards and implementation methods for sustainable infrastructure need to be cemented in regional infrastructure construction.