In 1995, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to manage and coordinate the use and care of the Mekong. In 1996 China and Myanmar became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together in a cooperative framework. In 2000, the governments of China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar signed a "Agreement on Commercial Navigation on Lancang-Mekong River among the Governments of the People’s Republic of China,the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,the Union of Myanmar and the Kingdom of Thailand" which is the mechanism for cooperation with regard to riverine trade on the upper stretches of the Mekong.