Abstract
This chapter examines China’s development on the upstream half of the Lancang-Mekong river, including the perspectives on local, regional, national, and international development that inform and motivate the nature and magnitude of that development. The primary goals of the chapter are to explain China’s development approach to the Lancang-Mekong basin, Chinese development priorities for the upper half of the basin, and how those priorities are shaped and acted upon in China. I begin by describing the physical and human geographic characteristics of the Chinese half of the Lancang-Mekong Basin. Next, I lay out a series of problems or issues as perceived within China, and show that the corresponding solution to each problem wholly or partially justifies (from the Chinese development state’s perspective) the construction of major infrastructure projects in southwestern and western China, of which the Lancang hydroelectric cascade is a major component. Finally, I discuss decision-making structures and practices in China and how they shape China’s engagement with downstream neighbors regarding basin-wide development.
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- 1.
Hydrolancang is also known as Yunnan Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Development Corporation. The Manwan dam was actually built by a partnership of the (then) Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, and the Yunnan Provincial Government. Similarly, Dachaoshan involved a consortium including Yunnan’s famous tobacco group, Hongta, and three other state-run entities. The two dams are now owned and operated by Huaneng’s principal Yunnan subsidiary, Hydrolancang. Much has been written elsewhere on reforms in the Chinese electric power sector since the mid-1990s (Magee 2006b; Xu 2002; Yeh and Lewis 2004).
- 2.
The statement by Vice Minister Song indicated that concerns about the impacts of unnatural fluctuations in water levels on fish migration were the primary cause for cancelling the Mengsong project. There is also some concern that the dam itself would impede fish passage. Even though the steepness, flow rate, and low temperature of the Lancang in more northern reaches make it inhospitable to migratory fish, studies by Chinese scientists suggest that at least some migratory species have traditionally made their way north of Jinghong.
- 3.
Many of those lines are long-distance ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHV-DC) capable of transmission voltages up to ±800 kV. With these, China has become a world leader in UHV-DC technology, which is safer and less prone to transmission losses over long distances than alternating current (AC) lines. Given the distances – from several hundred to more than 1,000 km – involved in transmitting power from the Lancang dams to Guangdong, reducing line losses is a high priority.
- 4.
To the extent the local, low-voltage power distribution grid in the vicinity of the dams is connected with higher-voltage transmission networks fed by the dams, one could argue that communities do indeed reap a marginal benefit from the dams in the form of increased stability and reliability of electric power.
- 5.
The project, supported by the United Nations Development Programme, is also known as the Greater Tumen Initiative. Information on the Initiative may be found on its website at http://www.tumenprogramme.org/
- 6.
The other commissions are the Yellow River Water Resources Commission, Huaihe River Water Resources Commission, Haihe River Water Resources Commission, Pearl River Water Resources Commission, Songliao River Water Resources Commission, and Taihu River Water Resources Commission.
- 7.
Aside from China Huaneng, the other four generation corporations are China Datang, China Huadian, China Guodian, and China Power Investment.
- 8.
The term “scientific development perspective” (kexue fazhan guan) came into broad use in development and policy circles in China during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006–2010), and often seems to be conflated with sustainable development.
- 9.
It is important to note, though, that hydropower’s share of overall power generation is not expected to grow appreciably in the coming decades, as investment in new, larger coal-fired plants will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partly supported by funds from the US National Science Foundation Grant BCS-0826771. The author wishes to thank Ms. Congjing Zhong, an undergraduate research assistant at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, for her careful assistance with Table 9.2. Any errors remain my own.
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Magee, D. (2011). The Dragon Upstream: China’s Role in Lancang-Mekong Development. In: Öjendal, J., Hansson, S., Hellberg, S. (eds) Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0476-3_9
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