Mekong dams

Analyzing Chinese dams in Laos provides insight into the local origins and drivers of the BRI, particularly along China’s borderland regions.

Firsthand glimpses of how dam construction changed the river over the course of eight years.

The fall in water levels has again raised questions about the activities of Chinese dam engineers upstream.

The Sanakham dam is one of seven mega-dams that the landlocked country is planning, in defiance of environmental and economic sense.

The move is a welcome development for downstream nations, but only underlines China's strategic hold over the crucial waterway.

The shrinking Tonle Sap, the river's “beating heart,” is the latest wake-up call of the damage wrought by dams.

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation leaders' meeting discussed the river's dire situation -- and also pushed for a new trade corridor.

Whether through its own dams or the financing and construction of dams in other countries, China is largely in the driver’s seat when it comes to the Mekong.

China’s solution to the Mekong’s problems is the same as its approach to most nontraditional security issues: increase development.

The World Heritage site in Laos is endangered by mega-projects and Mekong dams.

A policy reversal on Mekong dams has put Hanoi’s credibility – and the river’s fate – on the line.