The clear river flow has turned into a source of well-being that improves people’s lives, boosting interconnected development and consolidating consensus, creating a role model for transboundary water resources cooperation in the region.

Water stands at the heart of transboundary cooperation, and a sound and efficient cooperation mechanism serves as a solid underpinning for sustainable governance of Lancang-Mekong River in the long run. Over the past decade, the six LMC member countries have steadily strengthened the cooperation framework and established multi-tiered regular cooperation platforms including the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Ministerial Meeting, Joint Working Group and Forum.

A series of guiding documents have been issued, such as the Five-Year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2023–2027) and the Initiative on Deepening Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation.

This has fostered a cooperation framework featuring strategic guidance, clear division of work and effective implementation.

Since the commencement of LMC, the six countries have advanced hydrological information sharing, laying a solid foundation for joint management of floods and droughts.

China has provided flood season hydrological data to the downstream countries since 2002, and year-around hydrological data since 2020. Building on this, the six member countries have agreed in principle on the MoU on Mutual Provision of Upstream and Downstream Hydrological Data of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin under the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Joint Working Group, and steadily advanced the upgrade of data transmission systems at 24 key hydrological stations across the basin.

This marks a major milestone for coordinated, science-based joint governance of the basin, laying a solid foundation for the long-term peace and prosperity of the region.

The Lancang-Mekong Basin features complex climatic conditions and frequent floods and droughts, posing challenges to regional development. In recent years, the six countries have deepened the sharing of flood and drought information, issued early warnings to minimize casualties and property losses caused by floods.

During Typhoon Yagi in 2024, heavy rainstorm hit parts of Thailand and the Lao PDR, triggering sharp water level rises and flash floods. The Chinese and Thai governments responded with timely coordination and mutual exchange of hydrological and disaster information.

China regulated the outflow of cascade reservoirs on the Lancang River to stay consistently below natural inflow, greatly alleviating flood pressure on mainstream sections of the Mekong River in Thailand and the Lao PDR and drastically lowering damages to riverside villages, farmlands and dykes.

Pragmatic cooperation delivers tangible benefits to people. The goal of water resources cooperation is to improve people’s livelihoods and boosting the socio-economic development. For nearly a decade, Lancang-Mekong cooperation has prioritized the urgent needs of local communities by carrying out practical livelihood improvement projects.

Nearly 100 pragmatic cooperation projects have been implemented, covering rural water supply, water-saving irrigation, small watershed management and dam safety management, extending the benefits of Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation to thousands of households across the basin. Among them, the Lancang-Mekong Sweet Spring Action has become a flagship project focusing on improving people’s livelihood.

A total of 110 rural water supply demonstration sites have been built in Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar and other countries, benefiting over 12,500 residents.

The project addresses long-standing challenges including substandard drinking water and inconvenient water access in remote villages, delivering low-cost, stable and high-quality water supply services to local communities.

In O Rusei Village of Cambodia, a comprehensive small watershed management project has solved irrigation shortages for 40 hectares of orchards in dry seasons, and guaranteed daily drinking water for teachers and students of the village school, realizing dual benefits of ecological improvement and better livelihoods. These projects have effectively improved local production and living conditions and boosted rural revitalisation and poverty reduction.

The outcomes of the project have been included in the list of pragmatic cooperation projects of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and selected as global best practices for poverty alleviation.

Ecological governance safeguards the waters and mountains of the basin. The Lancang-Mekong Basin boasts abundant ecological resources and rich biodiversity. Guided by the vision of green and open development, Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation strives to build the Lancang-Mekong River into a river of well-being benefiting all riparian peoples.

The water quality in Yunnan Province of China consistently meets Grade II standards, enabling clean flow to the downstream which contributes to form a healthy ecological circulation across the basin. All riparian countries have deepened cross-border joint ecological governance, coordinated efforts in water pollution prevention, river ecological restoration, forest management and soil and water conservation, and worked together to prevent ecological degradation in the basin. Meanwhile, through the LMC mechanism, the six countries actively explore low-carbon models for water resource utilization, jointly develop clean energy and promote water-saving technologies, striking a balance between water resource exploitation and ecological protection.

While nourishing all kinds of lives, the basin continuously generates ecological and green value, charting a sustainable development path for the Lancang-Mekong Basin featuring sound ecology, thriving economy and happy communities.

Exchange of technology and expertise fuels collective growth. LMC water resources cooperation endows not only resource connectivity, but also in-depth integration of technologies, governance concepts and talent reserve. Over the years, the six member countries have strengthened policy coordination, deepened pragmatic collaboration and promoted mutual learning, launching joint initiatives covering water resource development and utilization, disaster prevention and mitigation, drinking water safety, dam safety and information sharing. In addition, the six countries regularly organize joint surveys, technical seminars and training programs in the water sector, establishing multi-tiered regular sectoral exchange platforms and cultivating a group of local water professionals. This has substantially elevated the capacity of each member country to govern, manage and utilize water resources. From assistance in infrastructure building to technical empowerment, from project implementation to training of young talents, LMC water resources cooperation keeps infusing endogenous momentum for regional development and accumulating driving forces for long-term growth.

The Lancang-Mekong River connects the six riparian countries. A decade of dedicated efforts have witnessed LMC water resources cooperation evolving from mechanism building to tangible deliverables, spanning from joint ecological governance to livelihood improvement, and looking ahead from technical exchanges to a shared future. Its concrete achievements embodies the spirit of “Shared river, Shared future”, making it the most vivid case for building a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.

Looking into the future, the six LMC countries will continue taking water as a top priority for cooperation and become even more united through cooperation. The clean water of the Lancang-Mekong River will keep nourishing the people and driving development, as all parties jointly write a new chapter of regional water cooperation featuring good neighborliness, friendship and win-win progress, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Source: Meng Dong, a special commentator, is an observer on international affairs.

KPL