On March 22, 2025, the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) of Thailand published a report on its official page, detailing remarks from Dr. Surasri Kittimonthon, Secretary-General of ONWR, following a bilateral meeting with Mr. Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China, and his delegation. The meeting was part of the Chinese delegation’s visit to Thailand to study international water management practices, inspect the Mekong River, and observe the Mekong water level monitoring station in Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai, on March 21, 2025.
Dr. Surasri emphasized that this visit was a crucial opportunity to strengthen Thailand-China cooperation on water resource management at both bilateral and multilateral levels. Bilaterally, China’s Ministry of Water Resources has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on technical cooperation in water resources and irrigation with Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, as well as an MoU on water resources with Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The possibility of establishing an MoU between ONWR and China’s Ministry of Water Resources was also discussed. At the multilateral level, Thailand and China cooperate under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) framework through a joint working group on water resources.
“The People’s Republic of China has been open to receiving project proposals from Thai agencies for funding through the MLC Special Fund on an annual basis. Previously, ONWR conducted joint research on transboundary water management, addressing flood and drought issues in the Sai-Ruak river basin between Thailand and Myanmar. This project received funding under the 2018 MLC Special Fund,” stated the ONWR press release. For 2024, ONWR has prepared a proposal for a follow-up project aimed at strengthening urban communities’ resilience to flash floods under climate change and extreme weather events in the Sai and Ruak transboundary rivers between Thailand and Myanmar. The agency has requested funding from the 2025 MLC Special Fund, with China currently reviewing Thailand’s proposal.
Ms. Pianporn Deetes, Regional Campaign Director for International Rivers, highlighted that Minister Li Guoying’s visit to Thailand and the Golden Triangle area of the Mekong River should include discussions on the long-standing issues affecting the river. In recent years, Mekong basin communities and civil society groups have repeatedly submitted letters to the Chinese government via the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, urging action to mitigate the downstream impacts of China’s dams on the Lancang-Mekong River. Thirteen dams have already been built on the upper Mekong in China.
“The fluctuating Mekong water levels, which no longer align with natural seasonal patterns, have severely disrupted the river’s ecosystem, local economies, and the livelihoods of downstream communities. There is still no effective mechanism to address these issues and ensure sustainable and participatory management of the Mekong, in line with the principle of ‘Shared River, Shared Future,’” said Ms. Pianporn. She further stressed that millions of people in the Lower Mekong Basin, including Thai communities in eight provinces from Chiang Rai to Loei and Ubon Ratchathani, depend on the Mekong for their livelihoods. They deserve a say in decisions affecting the river and its globally significant ecosystem. Given the increasing climate-related disasters affecting these communities, comprehensive, inclusive planning is urgently needed, incorporating nature-based solutions to address the challenges posed by extreme weather events.
See original Thai article, https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=41800
