Letters | Formal Asean-China framework could plug the gap in Mekong River cooperation

Readers discuss Asean as a recource for water resource diplomacy, and confusion in the European Union

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People arrive at the construction site of the Funan Techo canal in Kandal province, Cambodia, on August 5. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:30pm, 23 Feb 2025

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In a ceremony held last August, Cambodia broke ground on the controversial China-backed Funan Techo canal. Formally designated as a logistical solution linking Phnom Penh to the Gulf of Thailand, the canal’s potential as a geopolitical threat features heavily in independent analyses.

Facing a move that should generate worry for both regional partners and China’s adversaries, Vietnam’s official narrative has been one of neutrality. Hanoi’s approach is not unjustified. This response enables a potential resolution via channels between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

For Vietnam, insecurity in the Mekong Delta is a headache that begins upstream in China. Profound changes to the delta’s ecosystem can be linked to a series of Chinese hydropower dams. Meanwhile, China’s holding back of key operational data on Mekong River storage makes it a crucial but exasperating partner. Wrangling with Cambodia over a project linked to the Belt and Road Initiative also risks colliding with China’s growing economic dominance in the region, a sensitive topic Hanoi has sought to avoid.

Asean is a potential recourse for water resource diplomacy given Vietnam’s tricky situation. A formal Asean-China framework could plug the gap in Mekong River cooperation. Both the Greater Mekong Subregion and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation programmes have all six riparian countries as signatories, but neither has the appropriate procedures in place for resource management. The Mekong River Commission, which provides dispute resolution, does not include China and Myanmar.

Vietnam has an interest in spearheading Asean-China cooperation on water resources as Asean gives it the leverage to raise issues that have long gone unresolved. In addition, Asean’s dispute settlement mechanism has potential in the water resources context. Given the proliferation of transboundary basins and aquifers in the region, a project that connects China and Asean on water management can benefit everyone.

Hanoi’s response is in many ways reminiscent of the “Asean way”. Respectful and rooted in consensus, its approach to the Funan Techo canal can buy time to draw up a solution to Cambodia’s hostility and China’s looming presence. The ship of Asean cooperation has not yet sailed, and there is still time to get on board.