Armed Chinese policemen stand in formation on a patrol boat as they prepare for their first patrol mission along the Mekong River in Guanlei port

Armed Chinese policemen stand in formation on a patrol boat as they prepare for their first patrol mission along the Mekong River in Guanlei port, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province December 9, 2011. China and southeast Asian neighbours will start coordinated patrols of the Mekong River by mid-December, a Chinese ministry said, after a meeting that also agreed to let Beijing send advisors to Myanmar and Laos. The joint effort came after a deadly attack on Chinese ships in October killing 13 Chinese sailors. REUTERS/China Daily (CHINA – Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA