Countries team up to protect and enhance Lancang-Mekong river development

A plan on Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation for the next five years is in a process of drawing, aiming to further boost green cooperation between China and other five Mekong countries along the river.

The new plan will be drafted by experts from the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center(LMC Water Center), which was established in 2017 in accordance with the Sanya Deceleration of the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in 2016.

Over the past five years, the center has served as a platform for LMC countries to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in technical exchanges, drought and flood management, data and information sharing.

"The center has made great contributions to the improvement of the well-being of the people along the river and the construction of a community with a shared future among the Lancang-Mekong countries by improving water governance toward sustainable utilization and management of water resources," said Hao Zhao, director of the center.

For example, he said China has provided hydrological information of the Lancang River in the flood season to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat for 19 consecutive years and all year-round since 2020, making great contributions to flood prevention and disaster reduction along the Mekong River basin.

"In the future, six countries should make joint efforts on green development, utilizing clean energy, including hydropower and solar power. Also, information sharing should be enhanced, and water structure facilities should be improved to mitigate the impact from climate change," Hao said.

On Friday, a four-day trip for experiencing the Lancang River and promoting the Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation successfully ended. The trip was co-hosted by the LMC Center, China Huaneng Group Co, Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office and Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Inc.

More than 50 representatives, including officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and water resources, diplomats from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and overseas students attended this event.

The delegates visited the Nuozhadu Hydropower Station, the Manmi Resettlement Village, the Yunjinghong Hydrological Station and the Jinghong Hydropower Station. They also held a seminar on how to deepen and upgrade the Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation.

Zin Mar Htwe, Charge d'Affaires from the Myanmar embassy in Beijing, said Lancang-Mekong River flowing along six countries provides a fortune for them. Each country in the river basin shares the responsibility to protect the sustainable development of the basin.

"We should step up such cooperation on water resources, environment and meteorology, and explore the possibility of establishing the Lancang-Mekong disaster management cooperation mechanism. Myanmar would continue to materialize the peace, prosperity and development of the Lancang-Mekong region in its own sustainable way," she said.