China to help alleviate drought along Mekong

China will provide an emergency water supply to countries along the Mekong River to help deal with drought, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

A hydropower station in South China's Yunnan province will make the emergency supply available to the lower reaches of the river through April 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced at a news conference in Beijing.

China and countries along the river on the Indochinese Peninsula are "friendly neighbors", and they should help each other to cope with difficulties, said Lu, referring to the drought that countries along the river have faced since the end of last year.