Steps were taken toward that with the signing of a Mekong commercial-navigation pact between Thailand, Burma, Laos and China in April. Neighbours bank on the latter. Krit Kraichitti, a Thai Foreign Ministry official who oversees Mekong issues, admits the navigation agreement will hurt many Thai firms because cheap Chinese products from Yunnan will invade their markets. Environmentalists, however, worry about the other side of the economics-driven approach. Economic integration may have started to pay small dividends, however.
Optimists point to increased joint workshops, conferences and seminars on technical issues.
In October, a Vietnamese fact-finding mission will travel to Yunnan to meet officials from the province's environmental board to discuss the dam projects. Many downstream officials nevertheless think Beijing is open only about the bright side of its development plans. But as the dams use more of the Mekong, pressure for a clearer accounting will mount. The Mekong can no longer be divided by political boundaries. In the end, though, that will be for Beijing to decide.