News
India offers China access to northeast in BRI strategic shift
India has offered China connectivity through its northeastern region to Bangladesh’s Chittagong port on the Indian Ocean as part of an ambitious multilateral plan that appears to complement the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor proposed under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). More detail ...
Water level in Mekong River declines slightly
Overflow from the Mekong River in Nong Khai province continues to flood nearby farmlands, forcing farmers to move their equipment and tools to higher ground. Keep reading ...
Mekong Delta advised to apply hi-tech in various fields
Mekong Delta provinces and cities need to apply advanced technology in agriculture, human resources training, e-government and climate-change adaptation, experts said at a conference held in Vinh Long province on August 29. Keep reading ...
Civil society groups to boycott Prior Consultation on new Mekong dam
Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, issued a statement on Friday announcing their intention to boycott the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC’s) Prior Consultation for the proposed Pak Lay dam. Pak Lay is the fourth ...
Mekong Delta region makes up 18 percent of GDP
Mekong Delta localities collected more than 243.2 trillion VND (10.46 billion USD) for the budget in 2016-2018, and made up 18 percent of the country’s GDP, according to an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). Keep reading ...
Dams and sand mining threaten integrity of lower Mekong
As investment in hydropower and construction projects ramp up, ecosystems along Southeast Asia’s longest river are paying the price. At more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles), the Mekong is Southeast Asia’s longest river. It runs through six countries, providing food and income for more than ...
How conservation became colonialism
A feature article by Alexander Zaitchick that critically examines the importance of why indigenous people, not environmentalists, are the key to protecting the world’s most precious ecosystems. Read more ...
Laos' hydropower ambitions threaten Mekong fishing villages
The tiny Southeast Asian nation of Laos champions itself as “the battery of Southeast Asia,” exporting hydroelectricity to its neighbors as it seeks to exit the ranks of least developed countries. Keep reading ...
Time for Myanmar to grow away from illicit trade
Recent findings from the Index underscore the challenge that Myanmar faces in combating illicit trade. Myanmar ranks 82nd out of 84 countries evaluated, with an overall score of 23.0 (out of 100). This means that — apart from Iraq and Libya — Myanmar shows the ...
China’s New Silk Road
Xi calls it the “project of the century,” a decades-long drive to grease the wheels of trade with massive infrastructure spending; Morgan Stanley estimates it will total $1.3 trillion by 2027. The Belt and Road is at the core of China’s foreign policy strategy and ...
