The massive Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River has inspired thousands of news stories and become a 'must see' site for tourists. In contrast, Chinese dams being built along the Mekong River - including one at Xiaowan which will be more than 100 metres higher than the Three Gorges - have attracted almost no publicity, even though their economic and environmental impact is likely to make them a major multilateral issue between China and its southern neighbours.
The Mekong is Southeast Asia's largest river system, running some 4,160km from its source in Tibet to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. It differs from the Yangtze in that it is a major international waterway: the downstream Southeast Asian countries depend heavily on access to healthy, predictable flows of the Mekong.
For Thailand, the river is a vital source of water for cities. For Laos, it is a potential source of hydroelectricity for export. Cambodia needs the river to sustain its fish catch. Vietnam needs a high and constant flow of water to irrigate its rice fields in the delta. But downstream countries cannot guarantee the continued flow of the Mekong without the help of their large northern neighbour in whose territory the river originates: China. Twenty per cent of the waters of the Mekong originate in China, and during the dry season this figure increases to as much as 70 per cent.
China, facing massive water shortages of its own, has stonewalled. It has avoided making any concessions on water use, has not slowed the pace of dam building, and continues to argue that how it uses water which flows through its territory is a question of national sovereignty.
This is bad news both for the downstream countries and for regional integration. This year, record low flows along the Mekong killed the fish catch in Cambodia, created water shortages in Thailand, and led to salt intrusion in Vietnamese rice fields. While low rainfall made the situation worse, Chinese dams along the upper portions of the river were also blamed. Two such dams are in place; two more are being built, and four more are on the drawing board.
Beijing has been trumpeting its 'theory of peaceful rise', which argues that economic growth and increasing military power will not threaten its Southeast Asian neighbours, but instead will create a 'win-win' situation in which all countries can benefit.