The Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center (LMC Water Center) was established in June 2017 under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Mechanism, in accordance with the Sanya Declaration of the 1st Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting as a platform for the LMC countries to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in technical exchanges, capacity building, drought and flood management, data and information sharing, joint research and analysis related to Lancang-Mekong water resources.

Since its inception, the LMC Water Center has carried out a series of work with the strong support of the six Lancang-Mekong countries. The center assisted in holding a series of important meetings, such as the leaders' meeting, the foreign ministers' meeting, the water ministers’ meeting, the joint working group meeting and the water resources forum, drafted the Five-year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2022); organized a series of technical exchanges, carried out the Master Program on Youth Talent for Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation; implemented the Five-year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018～2022), put forward the list of Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation projects, coordinated and promoted the implementation of Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation projects; promoted the building of information sharing platform for Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation; actively publicized the cooperation on water resources among the six countries, and created a good atmosphere for the six countries to carry out water resources cooperation.

Combined with the cooperation on Lancang-Mekong water resources, the center has actively strengthened communications and cooperation with water-related ministries and research institutions in the Mekong countries, established cooperative relationships with the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, the Mekong Institute, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Water Management Institute, the Global Water Partnership and other international institutions, as well as China Institute of International Studies, China Foreign Affairs University, Tsinghua University, Hohai University, Fudan University, Wuhan University and other well-known domestic  research institutions and universities. As a result the center has expanded partnership with international and domestic agencies.