Chinese media is misleading the public on the impacts of hydro in Laos
Last month, the New York Times ran a piece of propaganda and misinformation masquerading as news.
The piece was entitled “Employment on Hydropower Project in Laos Delivers Better Lives,” and it was created and paid for by the China Daily, the English-language mouthpiece for the People’s Republic of China.
Its aim? To paint a rosy picture of a highly destructive set of dams currently under construction in Southeast Asia: the Nam Ou Hydropower Cascade. The cascade is contributing to the Laotian government’s objective of transforming the country through extensive hydropower development, most of it destined for export. It is being financed and built by Chinese banks and companies and has become a key part of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative.
