The Mekong basin is one of the most promising areas for development in Asia and the world. The six Mekong countries are linked by mountains and rivers, have a common humanity, a deep tradition of good neighbourliness and friendship, and have close security and development interests. It is a common issue for the six countries to promote water resources cooperation in the Mekong to go deeper and further, to properly deal with various risks and challenges, and to provide a strong guarantee of water security for sustainable development and common prosperity in the region.

The 2nd Mekong Water Cooperation Forum was opened by video on December 7. The theme of this forum is “Working Together to Address Challenges and Promote Shared Prosperity”. Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia Lin Jianhe, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Laos Boungnang Vorachith, Minister of Transport and Communications of Myanmar Ding Angshan, Director General of the National Water Resources Office of Thailand Kitimondon Surasri, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam Chen Honghe, and UN Under-Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

This Forum is an important action to implement the consensus of the Third Leaders’ Meeting of the Mekong Cooperation and is one of a series of activities to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Mekong Cooperation. The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Water Resources of China, during the two days, the forum focused on six topics: water resources protection and green development, integrated water resources management and climate change response, water resources and livelihood improvement in rural areas, sustainable hydropower development and energy security, transboundary river cooperation and information sharing, and water governance and youth mission in the Mekong countries. The Forum will also release “the Second Mekong Water Cooperation Forum Beijing Initiative”.

The current developing situation

According to the introduction, five years since the establishment of the Mekong cooperation mechanism, the Ministry of Water Resources to practical cooperation projects as a grasp, continue to contribute to the Mekong countries “Chinese wisdom” and “Chinese solutions”. The Ministry of Water Resources has shared the annual hydrological data of the Lancang River with the Mekong countries, provided RMB 240 million to help the Mekong countries to carry out water resources projects, and prepared the “Five-Year Action Plan for Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2020)” to provide guidance for practical cooperation in the field of water resources in the Mekong. Through the “Mekong Dam Health Check-up Action Plan”, “Mekong Gan Quan Action Plan” and “Mekong Small Watershed Integrated Management Demonstration”, China has helped to improve water management in the Mekong countries, and this project has brought tangible benefits to the people of the Mekong region.

Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying pointed out that in the five years since the establishment of the Mekong Cooperation mechanism, the water resources departments of the six countries have strengthened policy dialogue and technical exchanges, accelerated the process of information sharing in the basin, improved flood and drought prevention and response capabilities, and utilised the benefits of livelihood protection projects, pushing Mekong water resources cooperation into the “fast lane” and enhancing the well-being of the people in the basin countries.

Besides, the minister pointed out that it is a common issue for the six Mekong countries to promote Mekong water cooperation to go deeper and further, to properly deal with various risks and challenges, and to provide a strong guarantee of water security for the sustainable development and common prosperity of the region. The Ministry of Water Resources of China will actively implement the concept of pro-trust, goodwill and tolerance, adhere to the neighbor as good, neighbor as companion, together with the Mekong countries, broaden the field of cooperation, deepen the content of cooperation, improve the level of cooperation, and take the Mekong water cooperation to a new height.

Future developing suggestions

About how to further strengthen the Mekong Water Cooperation? Li Guoying then put forward four suggestions for further strengthening water resources cooperation in the Mekong region: Firstly, stick to the original spirit of cooperation and promote green and sustainable development in the region. The relationship between economic development and ecological protection should be handled in an integrated manner, and more water conservation projects should be implemented to bring real benefits to the people of the Mekong countries.

Secondly, promote the spirit of the Mekong region and work together to build a closer community of destiny. All countries should always adhere to the principle of discussing and dealing with each other’s major concerns, and strive to find the greatest number of conventions and draw the greatest concentric circles.

Thirdly, focus on a common vision and work together to promote the quality and upgrading of Mekong water cooperation. All countries should give full play to the role of ministerial meetings, strengthen coordination and collaboration under the framework of joint working groups, and strive to build a platform for cooperation and exchange with international influence.

Fourthly, build a smart basin and a high-quality information and knowledge-sharing platform for water resources cooperation in the Mekong region. All countries should work together to design the content of the platform, work together to carry out the follow-up construction of the platform, and also work together to build a smart water resources system in the Mekong Basin.

At the opening ceremony, the Ministers of Water Resources of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam spoke highly of China for organising the forum despite the impact of the epidemic, and thanked China for providing relevant hydrological information and implementing livelihood cooperation projects, saying that China’s initiatives have played an important role in flood prevention and mitigation and water resources management in the downstream countries. The parties reviewed the positive results achieved in the past five years, analysed the serious challenges faced by water resources in the region, and put forward hopes and suggestions for deepening water resources cooperation in the Mekong region. The parties expressed that they would further strengthen policy dialogue, technical exchange and project cooperation, and join hands to contribute their wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of the regional economy and society.

UN Under-Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin said that the Mekong Water Cooperation is a model of regional water cooperation and he expects the six countries to make positive contributions to achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development water targets.

Session on “Water Resources and Livelihood Improvement in Rural Areas”

On 8 December 2021, the 2nd Mekong Water Cooperation Forum “Water Resources and Livelihood Improvement in Rural Areas” was successfully organised by the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (CIWR) and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia.

Peng Jing, Vice President of CWRI, and Sam Ang, Director General of the Department of Planning and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia, delivered speeches on behalf of the Chinese and Cambodian organisers respectively. Zhong Yong, Second Inspector of the Department of International Cooperation and Science and Technology of the Ministry of Water Resources, head of the Joint Working Group on Water Resources Cooperation in the Mekong Region, leaders and experts from the Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre and the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research attended the conference at the main venue in Beijing. More than 100 experts from the six Mekong countries, relevant international organisations, research institutes and Chinese enterprises participated in the meeting through a combination of online and offline methods.

Peng Jing pointed out that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed “universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation by 2030”. The improvement of people’s livelihoods is a key area of Mekong cooperation, and rural water supply and water-saving irrigation facilities are vital to the survival and development of residents and families in rural areas. As the six Mekong countries share a river of water, they have a responsibility to work together to promote water conservation and livelihood improvement in rural areas. Looking forward to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with the Mekong countries, inspiring each other’s innovations, working together to improve regional governance, enhance people’s livelihoods and promote common prosperity.

Sam Ang said that water conservation in rural areas is a common concern and an important factor in determining the improvement of water and sanitation, and the protection of vulnerable groups in the region. Taking this forum as an opportunity, “we hope to further deepen our cooperation in the field of rural water resources and livelihood improvement in the future and share development opportunities”.

The meeting was co-chaired by Wu Wenyong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research of the Chinese Academy of Water Resources and Hydropower Sciences, and Sam Ang, Director of the Department of Planning and International Cooperation of the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology. Experts and scholars from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as representatives from international organisations such as the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), UNICEF and the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CIETE) shared their experiences in the areas of water and sanitation, water saving irrigation and river ecosystem improvement, and jointly analysed the challenges faced by their countries or regions and looked forward to future areas of cooperation.

By Sherry Song Dhu