China Notifies Mekong River Neighbors It Is Holding Back Waters

China Notifies Mekong River Neighbors It Is Holding Back Waters
A view of the Mekong river bordering Thailand and Laos is seen from the Thai side in Nong Khai, Thailand, on Oct. 29, 2019. Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
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BANGKOK—China has notified downstream neighbors it is holding back the Mekong River flow at a hydropower dam on the waterway’s upper reaches for 20 days, as part of a new data-sharing pact, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and Thailand said on Wednesday.

The statements came a day after a new U.S.-backed monitoring system said China had failed to notify downstream countries of water restrictions that started on Dec. 31.