30 years of cooperation for sustainable Mekong waters

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) recently held a Dialogue Meeting with China and Myanmar to celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing a cooperation mechanism between the Commission and the two upstream countries.

The meeting gave the parties an opportunity to reflect on three decades of cooperation and set directions for the coming period, focusing on strengthening dialogue, information sharing, technical cooperation, and the ability to respond to water resource challenges across the entire basin.

Over the past 30 years, cooperation between the Commission, China, and Myanmar has been gradually expanded, from information exchange and hydrological data sharing to joint research, flood and drought prevention and enhancing water resource management capacity.

China currently shares year-round hydrological data at two stations, Jinghong on the mainstream of the Lancang River and Man'an on a tributary, with member countries and the MRC Secretariat. The two sides have also conducted joint research on hydrological fluctuations in the Lancang-Mekong basin, organizing surveys in the upstream area, Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake and Viet Nam's Mekong Delta.

These activities help improve understanding of water resource developments and support forecasting and early warning for floods, droughts, and other water-related extreme events. During several severe flood and drought periods, China also shared operational information on hydropower dams on the Lancang River to help downstream countries respond proactively.

Beyond data sharing, China and Myanmar have sent officials to participate in internships and exchange experiences at the MRC Secretariat, as well as join workshops, training courses on integrated water resource management, and young professional training programs.

In the context of climate change, droughts, floods, saltwater intrusion, altered flow regimes, and increasing water demand, delegates agreed that data sharing, dialogue, and technical cooperation remain crucial components in transboundary water management.

Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Linh, Chief of Office of the Vietnam National Mekong Committee and Member of the MRC Joint Committee for Vietnam, highly appreciated the cooperation results between the MRC and the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources over the past 30 years.

In the coming period, Viet Nam suggested the parties continue to timely and reliably share meteorological and hydrological data serving water resource planning and management, flood and drought forecasting and warning, as well as water-related disaster response.

The Vietnamese representative also proposed that China continue sharing operational information of hydropower projects on the Lancang River, helping downstream countries be more proactive in water management and in responding to unusual situations.

At the Meeting, the Head of the Chinese delegation affirmed they will continue to enhance information and data sharing, promote joint research, and improve water governance capacity, while strengthening coordination between the cooperation framework of the MRC and the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation.

The Myanmar representative committed to continuing cooperation with the MRC in monitoring water quantity and quality on the Mekong River.

After 30 years, the dialogue mechanism between the MRC, China and Myanmar has created a vital foundation for water resource management cooperation across the basin. In the new phase, the parties agreed to maintain dialogue, expand data sharing, and enhance technical cooperation, moving towards sustainable water use and ensuring the common interests of basin countries.