Benefit sharing in the Mekong River basin

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the extent to which the cooperative relationship between China and the downstream countries in the Mekong River basin has evolved in relation to the various benefits shared between these riparian countries from the 1990s to the present. Benefit sharing is deployed as an analytical framework. Larger benefits obtained through cooperation have led China to become more cooperative with the downstream countries, as seen in the Greater Mekong Subregion programme. The establishment of a new form of cooperation in the river basin hinges upon the ability to share the socio-economic, political, and energy security benefits.