The accomplishment and strategy in developing transboundary waters in China

Luwei Ying & Xianlong HouCE 397 – Transboundary waters

Background

• There are 263 transboundary rivers around the world.

• The transboundary rivers take up 60% of the global terrestrial freshwater resources.

Situation in China

• China is one of the countries that have plenty of transboundary rivers in the world.

• China will also be one of the countries that would be consider of ‘physical water scarcity’ in 2025.

• One of the efficient and effective way to solve the problem is to develop its’ rich transboundary water resources.

• China shares 40+ transboundary rivers with the neighboring countries. The major 15 transboundary rivers are shown as:

Location Name Length(km)Watershed

Area(10km^2)

Shared Countries

Facing Problem China's behavior

northeast China

Heilongjiang 5498 186 China, Russia, Mongolia

Water Resources' pollution

yield pollution

Yalu River 795 6 China, North Korea

Tumen River 525 3 China, North Korea, Russia

Ussuri River 905 19 China, RussiaSuifen River 449 2 China, Russia

northwest China

Irtysh 4248 164China,

Kazakhstan, Russia

allocation of water

resourcesmanufacture water use and water

protection

Ili 1236 1512 China, Kazakhstan

allocation of water

resourcesmanufacture water use

Ulungur 821 4 China, Mongolia

southwest China

Lancang River 4909 81

China, Myanmar,

Laos, Thailand,

Cambodia, Vietnam

allocation of water

resourcesImpoundment and power generation

Yarlung Zangbo 2840 94 China, India,

Bangladesh

allocation and usage of

water resources

Impoundment and power generation and yield pollution

Yuan jiang 677 8 China, Vietnam

Nu jiang 3240 33 China, Myanmar

environmental protection Impoundment and power generation

Irrawaddy 2714 43 China, Myanmar

Indus River 2900 117 China, India, Pakistan

Beicang River 109 1187 China, Vietnam

Transboundary waters conflict

• The Kachin army conflicted with the Myanmar government army due to construction of the hydropower station by Chinese government

• The Yarlung Zangbo River’s conflict between Chinese and Indian governments

• The IrtySh River’s conflict between China and Kazakhstan for the reason of the construction of a canal

Strategy

• Explore the path of cooperation• Rational distribution, strict supervision,

vigorously develop the gas power plants, biomass power generation and other clean energy

• Build a negotiation and cooperation system for the transboundary rivers

Build a cooperation and negotiation system

Conflict prevention and response

Establishment of early warning mechanism

Cooperative Development and Management

Improve the cooperation and negotiation system to a better level

Establishment of emergency mechanism

Establishment of responsibility mechanism

Construction of scientific investigation and information-sharing channels

Determine the mode and means of co-management and development goals

Achieve the negotiation management, joint development and common benefit

Improve the cooperation and negotiation system to a better level

Establishment of responsibility mechanism

Conflict prevention and response mechanism

• Build an early warning mechanism • Establish an emergency mechanism • Construct a responsibility mechanism

Cooperative development and management mechanism

• Encourage the related countries to carry out scientific investigation

• Construct an information sharing channel• Determine the mode and means of co-

management and development goals• Achieve common benefit

Accomplishment• Case one:Cooperation between Russia and China

China government took action at the first time to take care of the Dual-benzene plant explosion in 2005. Minimize the effects to Russia people. Then, two countries got further agreement on the boundary water management including pollution control, environment protection and water resource usage.etc.

• Case two:Cooperation between Kazakhstan and China

Kazakhstan and China founded the expert committee to improve the cooperation on the water resource usage and begin to solve the problem on each transboundary river.

• Case three:Cooperation with other countries First: China's Government has been trying to take the necessary measures to minimize possible effects of the project on the Yalu Zangbu River to the Indian and Bangladesh via negotiation. Second, China’s construction company is trying to avoid the conflict the issues about water resource in other countries.

Conclusion

• Even though there has been several transboundary rivers’ conflict between China and some neighbouring countries, there are also many accomplishments. Based on the demands of China and related countries’ development, China would cooperate with the related countries to establish a set of cooperation and negotiation system including management, development, emergency prevention and enhance mutual security trust. Only in this way could make a peaceful and stable environment to develop and that would be a win-win case for both sides.

Disscusion

• Do you consider the ‘cooperation and negotiation system’ to be effective? Why?

• Except the mentioned methods above, what else can you think of to be useful?

• Do you think this kind of solution is also effective when it apply to another different country?