China, the Mekong River and Thailand’s Regional Infrastructure Fund
The headwaters of the Mekong River are located on the Tibetan plateau in China. The 4,350 kilometre-long river flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Thailand is seeking to establish a regional fund with its riparian neighbours. The fund is intended to provide capital for infrastructure development along the Mekong River; it aims to reduce the region’s reliance on Chinese investment. The Thai Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, is expected to raise the idea with country leaders at the eighth summit of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), scheduled for 16 June 2018.
