[China & SEA][Mekong] 2022 Mekong Week Online Event in Water Resources Successfully Held
The original article is posted here.
On 31 May, the 2022 Mekong Week in the field of water resources was successfully held online. The event was attended by Zhong Yong, Head of the Chinese side of the Joint Working Group on Mekong Water Resources Cooperation and Second Inspector of the Department of International Cooperation and Science and Technology of the Ministry of Water Resources, The Asia Department of the Ministry of foreign affairs of China and the embassies of Mekong countries in China sent counselors to attend and speak
During the event, delegates watched a video interview by Minister Li Guoying with CGTN on the role of the Lancang River Water Conservancy Project in "regulating abundance and replenishing depletion" and water resources cooperation in the Mekong region, and exchanged views on the promotion of highly resilient water management in the Mekong region and the collaboration in addressing water resources challenges to sustainable development in the basin. Mr. Zhong Yong said that water is a central element of the Mekong cooperation, and water resources cooperation is a central part of the Mekong cooperation. Since the establishment of the Lancan-Mekong cooperation mechanism, the water resources departments of the six countries have actively implemented the consensus of the leaders' meeting, adhered to the principle of "discussing and dealing with things" to carry out practical cooperation, and achieved fruitful results, playing an important role in promoting sustainable regional economic and social development. The six countries should further strengthen upstream and downstream collaboration, handle the relationship between economic development and ecological protection in an integrated manner, fully respect the legitimate rights and interests of each country to reasonably develop and use water resources, and take care of each other's major concerns, so as to make new contributions to improving the water governance capacity of the Mekong countries and ensuring water security in the Mekong region.
Zuo Wenxing said that the Mekong Cooperation has become the most dynamic and promising sub-regional cooperation mechanism, creating a "golden signature" for sub-regional cooperation and providing a continuous injection of "fresh water" for regional development. The water resources cooperation of the six Mekong countries has enriched the connotation of Mekong cooperation, and the water resources departments of the six Mekong countries have made important contributions to ensuring the sustainable economic and social development of the countries in the basin and deepening the good neighbourliness of the six countries.
The Mekong diplomats expressed their gratitude to China for its long-standing efforts in water resources cooperation and the active support role played by the Mekong Water Cooperation Centre. The ambassadors expressed their appreciation of the positive role played by the Lancang River Hydropower Station in regulating abundance and replenishing depletion, as well as the important role of water resources infrastructure in promoting sustainable economic and social development. They expressed their willingness to adhere to the principle of "有事商量着办"(means that the solution of the problem needs to rely on multi-party negotiation, rather than unilateral or antagonistic.), to strengthen collaboration with China, to convey objective and scientific information to the public, and to create a good atmosphere for promoting water resources cooperation in the Mekong region and enhancing regional high resilience water management, as well as their enthusiasm to further deepen water resources cooperation in the Mekong region.
The event was co-organised by the Mekong Water Cooperation Centre, the Nanjing Institute of Water Resources Science and the Centre for Dam Safety Management of the Ministry of Water Resources. Representatives from the Department of Asia and the Department of Border and Marine Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the General Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design, the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, the Publicity and Education Centre, the Nanjing Institute of Water Resources Science, Tsinghua University, Hohai University, Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Co Ltd, representatives from international organisations such as the Mekong Secretariat, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre and the Global Water Partnership, as well as representatives from international organisations such as China International Television, China Daily, Global Times, China News Agency, Xinhua, China Water Resources News and Vietnam People's Daily attended the event.