The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region
An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region
The Mekong River’s natural resources offer large benefits to its populations, but it also attracts the interest of foreign investors. Recently, Chinese firms, banks and government bodies have increasingly invested in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Due to China’s rapid economic growth, its rapid industrialisation and its limited domestic natural resources, the Chinese government has issued the ‘Going Out Strategy’ which promotes investments in overseas natural resources like water and energy resources. In search for climate-friendly low-carbon energy, cheap electricity and access to a growing market, Chinese institutions turn to Southeast Asia where Chinese institutions are currently involved in more than 50 on-going large hydropower projects as contractors, investors, regulators and financiers. These Chinese institutions have influence on environmental and social practices as well as on diplomatic and trade relations in the host countries. Currently, there are major gaps in understanding who is engaged, why, how and with what impacts. This paper therefore aims to assess the motives, actors, beneficiaries and the direct and indirect impacts of China’s investment in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. The authors use the ‘Rising Powers Framework’ to assess these issues, which is an adapted version of the Asian Drivers Framework
1387-585X
301-324
Urban, Frauke
26206e27-cfa8-4efb-97cb-d06f22d8ed5f
Nordensvärd, Johan
44e3b534-aa45-4124-9680-35e8fb6f2e98
Khatri, Deepika
b4880ef4-12fb-407b-8f9a-a8cef2f21dd2
Wang, Yu
6d2a1ba4-6455-40a5-a1f9-514aff2274c9
Urban, Frauke
26206e27-cfa8-4efb-97cb-d06f22d8ed5f
Nordensvärd, Johan
44e3b534-aa45-4124-9680-35e8fb6f2e98
Khatri, Deepika
b4880ef4-12fb-407b-8f9a-a8cef2f21dd2
Wang, Yu
6d2a1ba4-6455-40a5-a1f9-514aff2274c9

Urban, Frauke, Nordensvärd, Johan, Khatri, Deepika and Wang, Yu (2013) An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 15 (2), 301-324. (doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9415-z).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The Mekong River’s natural resources offer large benefits to its populations, but it also attracts the interest of foreign investors. Recently, Chinese firms, banks and government bodies have increasingly invested in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Due to China’s rapid economic growth, its rapid industrialisation and its limited domestic natural resources, the Chinese government has issued the ‘Going Out Strategy’ which promotes investments in overseas natural resources like water and energy resources. In search for climate-friendly low-carbon energy, cheap electricity and access to a growing market, Chinese institutions turn to Southeast Asia where Chinese institutions are currently involved in more than 50 on-going large hydropower projects as contractors, investors, regulators and financiers. These Chinese institutions have influence on environmental and social practices as well as on diplomatic and trade relations in the host countries. Currently, there are major gaps in understanding who is engaged, why, how and with what impacts. This paper therefore aims to assess the motives, actors, beneficiaries and the direct and indirect impacts of China’s investment in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. The authors use the ‘Rising Powers Framework’ to assess these issues, which is an adapted version of the Asian Drivers Framework

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: April 2013
Organisations: Social Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 362372
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/362372
ISSN: 1387-585X
PURE UUID: 7824598f-ea54-42c2-938c-b32ee75ed31d

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 21 Feb 2014 11:40
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 16:06

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Frauke Urban
Author: Johan Nordensvärd
Author: Deepika Khatri
Author: Yu Wang

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×