IN-DEPTH: CCP Uses Colossal Hydropower Dams to Control Mekong River and Southeast Asia

The mighty Mekong River is a lifeline for many in Southeast Asia. China’s control of the Mekong’s waters is endangering ecosystems and livelihoods downstream, and increasing Chinese control of the region.

Part of the first rail line linking China to Laos, a key part of Beijing's 'Belt and Road' project across the Mekong, in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Feb. 8, 2020. Aidan Jones/AFP via Getty Images

A cluster of huge Chinese dams in the upper reaches of the Mekong exacerbated severe drought conditions in the river’s lower reaches this summer. Experts believe that over the past decades, the dams have become a de facto weapon of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),  advancing its interests in Southeast Asia, while heavily damaging and threatening the region’s ecology and livelihoods.

The Mekong is about 2,900 miles long, with its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau. Its upper reaches, winding 1,300 miles through southwest China, are known as the Lancang River. In addition to China, the Mekong flows through five countries in Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The giant river is a lifeline for millions of people.