2016年CRI Lancang-Mekong river Cooperation Highlights Water Cooperation

Chen Fengying is the director of World Economy Center with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

She says cooperation related to water resources is one of the priorities of the meeting, and locals will enjoy benefits from such cooperation.

"Cooperation on water resource is vital for us. Many local water conservancy facilities are not qualified 1 or scientific. So the region has been hit by draught 2 and floods. And there is an urgent need for hydro power in the region. For example, countries like Cambodia and Laos are highly reliant on hydro power. However they are suffering a huge shortage of electricity. The fishery industry is also important. Residents along the river are largely living on fishing. The industry is really promising 3. I think irrigation and water transportation also involve a major proportion in daily life, so I think we could cooperate in the above areas."

The expert adds that proper governance for water will help the region to promote modern agriculture.

The Mekong River originates in China and runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is known as Lancang in the Chinese stretch.

Since late 2015, countries along the river have suffered from drought due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon.

The situation has worsened and threatens people's livelihoods 4.

The Chinese government announced last week it plans to discharge water from a Hydro power Station in Yunnan Province until April 10th.

The cooperative move has been hailed by leaders from drought-hit Mekong countries.

The Thai Prime Minister has said he is happy to see China release water to help alleviate 5 drought in his country, noting the water supply has already reached northern Thailand.

Chen Fengying attributes the action to full reservoirs.

Because we have reservoirs in upper reaches of the river, we were able to release water when the draught hit this time. How can we release water without those reservoirs? The water would just flow away."

In responding to complaints from local residents on China's development of hydro power in the region, Chen says a lack of effective communication in the past has been a problem.

Chen notes under the present framework, countries can work together to develop water resources with scientific methods and jointly 6 reach acceptable solutions.

"We should stress rational exploitation no matter if it's in upper reaches or in lower reaches of the river. We need a plan for cooperation, to discuss and demonstrate resource management, and to jointly manage the issue. I believe there were complaints because we hadn't communicated effectively in the past. But in the future things will be better cause we now have various channels for cooperation and communication. We can reduce conflicts and resolve these issues through negotiation 7."

As part of the cooperative moves, a water resources cooperation center will be set up for Lancang-Mekong countries to share information and resources to protect the environment along the river.