China signs pact to share year-round water data with Mekong River Commission

China on Thursday signed an agreement with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to share year-round data on the flow of its portion of the vital waterway amid concern that Chinese dams may be causing drought downstream in Southeast Asia. Two years of record drought on the 4,350-km (2,700-mile) Mekong River have been devastating for many the 60 million people who depend on it for fishing and farming.

China on Thursday signed an agreement with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to share year-round data on the flow of its portion of the vital waterway amid concern that Chinese dams may be causing drought downstream in Southeast Asia. A push for more data from China's portion of the Mekong River - which Beijing calls the Lancang River - intensified after U.S. government criticism that 11 Chinese dams were "hoarding" water and hurting livelihoods downstream, an accusation Beijing denies.

"This agreement is a landmark in the history of China-MRC cooperation," An Pich Hatda, the MRC Secretariat Chief Executive Officer, said after at a virtual meeting on Thursday. Two years of record drought on the 4,350-km (2,700-mile) Mekong River have been devastating for many the 60 million people who depend on it for fishing and farming. (Writing by Kay Johnson Editing by Ed Davies)

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