ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that how both conflict and cooperation co-exist in China's Mekong hydro-politics and how this conflict-cooperation trade-off is related to China's overall foreign policy goals. China has the key role to play in Mekong hydro-politics. Conversely, the Mekong and its resources are also significant for China and its sustained development. An international river and highly sensitive ecosystem like the Mekong needs a governing body to bring the riparian countries together and coordinate their various interests while at the same time protecting the river's resources. The Mekong is a vital resource for its riparian countries and basin inhabitants in many respects. Among other things, it provides water for consumption, irrigation, and fisheries, and represents a vital transportation route for trade and tourism. China's dam building on the Mekong is to be seen against the backdrop of various domestic drivers. China's dam-building activities have clearly constituted the country's main thrust in its Mekong hydro-politics.
