[ad_1]
US Under Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Affairs David Stilwell – Photo: REUTERS
“An urgent challenge is manipulation [của Trung Quốc] For the flow of the Mekong River to their own benefit, while downstream countries have to pay a high price, “the South China Morning Post quoted the US diplomat speaking at a conference led by the American Institute of Peace on Sept. 4 and Great Completion of the Singapore Lee Kuan Yew public policy study.
Stilwell cited a recent report that China “manipulated the flow along the Mekong for 25 years, with the most severe natural flow disruption occurring at the same time as the construction and operation of the main dam.” .
Although Stilwell did not name the report, the United States and China have “fought” each other in the past with conflicting studies on the Mekong issue.
For example, an April 2020 report from the United States-based organization Eyes on Earth claimed that China’s dams had retained about 47 billion square feet.3 Mekong river water. Meanwhile, research by Tsinghua University and the China Water Resources Institute confirmed that dams help regulate drought in the Mekong region.
Mekong river bank in Nong Khai, Thailand – Photo: REUTERS
According to Stilwell, the Mekong crisis threatens food security and water resources in the region.
“These stories have the potential to cause a more serious destabilization. The United States is working with the Mekong countries, the Mekong River Commission and international partners to secure China’s call for transparency of water data.” Quoc got an answer, “said the American diplomat.
Stilwell’s statement is the latest sign that the Mekong is becoming a new front in the confrontation between the United States and China.
The Mekong issue is likely to be discussed at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) scheduled for next week with the participation of the foreign ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and their counterparts from the United States, China, Russia and Russia. India. . The event was held in the form of online meetings due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
