Conclusion

Abstract

Today, rice production in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam can no longer revolve around the May-October monsoon rains and the Mekong river water. It needs to adjust and/or adapt to climate change, rising sea levels, and increasing sea water temperatures that would impact not only each country’s economy, but also its traditional way of life. These natural disasters damage rice fields in the Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) countries with unequal intensities and at different times.

More importantly, the Mekong River has become a source of exploitation for the construction of mainstream dams in China and Laos. These dams would constitute a devastating threat to the rice production in downstream countries, particularly in the Mekong Delta, if China chose to limit the Mekong water flows and sediment deposits for rice cultivation.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), created in 1995 to develop sustainable water resources and rice security for people in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), is facing new problems ranging from structural reorganization, members’ financial contribution, review of rules and procedures implementation, and disputes resolution among members. Whether the MRC can meet its new challenges depends on the national interests of its leaders.

The concept of Mekong regional cooperation took a new definition with the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism (LMCM) launched in 2016 by China in a new world and environment. The prospects for future rice production and water security in MSEA and the LMB will depend upon China’s emerging roles and ambitions in the Mekong region and its relationships with its riparian neighbors.