Where the Silk Roads meet the mighty Mekong
Welcome to the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, one of the key planks of the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The apparition on the Mekong is an under-construction bridge, part of the 420 km-long, US$6 billion worth high-speed railway connecting Kunming, in Yunnan ...
Pepe Escobar
China’s assertive maritime policy is older than Xi
The toughening of China’s policies in the South and East China Seas is widely regarded as a defining characteristic of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy. But while it is true that the PRC has become more assertive in its maritime disputes under Xi, China had already ...
Andrew Chubb
Drought, saltwater intrusion double whammy for Mekong delta farmers
Due to a prolonged drought, seawater has intruded deep into rivers in the Mekong Delta, leaving thousands of households facing a water shortage. Freshwater is sold in certain areas for VND200,000 ($8.6) per cubic metre, and local authorities use tanker trucks to deliver water to households. For ...
Huy Phong, Hoang Nam
Heart-to-Heart Talk with 6 People of the Mekong
The Mekong Butterfly had a heart-to-heart talk with 6 people of the Mekong — they are from 6 different communities in Thailand located on the Mekong riverbank. Despite informal atmosphere, topics of the discussion were very earnest around problems they have been facing from irregular ...
Mekong water level in Kratie set to decrease
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on Monday that the river’s water level in Kratie province is expected to decrease by 50cm to 1.5m from April 12-19, as the outflow from China’s Jinghong hydropower station is gradually reduced by half to accommodate the Dai ethnic ...
Khorn Savi
Cambodia's Endangered River Dolphins at Highest Population in 20 Years
For decades, Cambodia’s Mekong River population of Irrawaddy dolphins has verged on extinction. Once believed to have numbered in the thousands, the population began to plummet in the 1970s. During the violent reign of the Khmer Rouge and the years of war that followed, the dolphins were ...
Stefan Lovgren
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Blessing or curse?
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US$260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in ...
Jason Thomas
Mekong Delta facing grave drought, saltwater intrusion
The Mekong Delta is experiencing one of the hottest period of the year, starting right after Tet Holiday. Several areas in the region seriously lack freshwater, leading to a shortage of water supply for plants and crops. Simultaneously, saltwater intrusion becomes increasingly desperate in river ...
Lower Mekong Governments and Development Partners Seek to Improve Water Data Sharing
In the Mekong region, there is a general push to strengthen water data management and ultimately make evidence-based infrastructure development and water resources management decisions. The efforts of the region’s governments and development partners will ideally help mitigate the cumulative impacts of infrastructure development on ...
Beijing saves Mekong islets
The revelation that China is backing away from its plans to blow up islands and outcroppings in the Mekong River is welcome news. Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said he had raised the issue last month during a visit by Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. It is ...
