Project-level analysis of transboundary agreements on the Irtysh and Mekong rivers: analyzing hydro-hegemony theory through apt-scale research

Abstract

This research conducts an analysis of the factors which inform China’s governance of the Irtysh River between China and Kazakhstan and the Southeast Asian states bordering the Mekong River. Scholars have referred to China’s governance as an instance of ‘hydrohegemony,’ wherein China governs its transboundary water resources by initiating limited cooperation with its neighbors to extract maximum benefits for itself. This research seeks to contribute to existing Hydro-hegemony theoretical literature by presenting an ‘apt-scale’ study of China’s dam development. This ‘apt-scale’ analysis seeks to rationalize China’s water agreements with the implementation of dam projects at the local level and is concerned with how local stakeholders of Chinese policy implement dam projects. This research is conceived as a longitudinal study which contextualizes dam development and water use cases outlined in the bilateral agreements signed between China and Kazakhstan and cases between China and Laos under the multilateral Lancang-Mekong Compact (LMC). To gauge the impact of development projects, this research utilizes GIS satellite data to measure how China’s domestic and international development of dam projects impact the quantity and quality of transboundary water resources and contributes to water disputes. To contextualize China’s implementation of dam projects and their logic of hydro-hegemony, this research presents international law standards of transboundary river governance, China’s domestic laws and the agreements between China and its neighbors to lay out internationally and locally accepted parameters for cooperation. The objective of this study is to establish an ‘apt-lens’ of enquiry to gauge the impact of transboundary dam construction on China’s hydro-hegemony and to understand how China's governance of these resources informs its utilization and development of transboundary water. disputes. The ‘apt-scale’ lens of research contributes to a gap in existing hydro-hegemony research which does not include a serious engagement with the impacts that water governance stakeholders have on the maintenance of TBW. This study found that there is a significant disconnect between China’s TBW stakeholders in their implementation of policy – leading to disjointed governance and the intensification of China’s hydro-hegemony. This research presents that International Water Law could aid China in resolving its hydro-hegemonic dominance.