Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Major/Program
International Relations
First Advisor's Name
Jin Zeng
First Advisor's Committee Title
Co-Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Shlomi Dinar
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Co-Committee Chair
Third Advisor's Name
Thomas Breslin
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Fourth Advisor's Name
Benjamin Smith
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
international relations
Date of Defense
3-31-2023
Abstract
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure program launched by China in 2013, has been the subject of controversy. While China views the BRI as a means of promoting economic integration and connectivity, mainstream arguments portray it as a debt-trap and a challenge to the existing global order. This dissertation examines China's efforts to build dams in Southeast Asia and sheds new light on the controversy. Drawing on insights from hydropolitics, Chinese politics, and international relations, this study identifies four major findings. First, China constructed dams in the lower Mekong River basin primarily for economic reasons, including sustaining its economic growth, creating commercial opportunities for its firms and financial institutions, and establishing its border provinces as regional hubs. Second, China's dam development has important geopolitical implications, allowing China to consolidate its role as the regional hydro-hegemon and further integrate itself within the basin. Third, downstream states have reacted differently to China's dam development, depending on their respective economic development goals, environmental concerns, and perceptions of China's rise. Fourth, China's dam-building in the Mekong basin provides a possible blueprint for pursuing similar developments in other transboundary basins. By analyzing China's dam-building, this study offers a nuanced understanding of the BRI beyond traditional analyses of Great Power politics and alters established perceptions of the BRI.
Identifier
FIDC011037
ORCID
0000-0003-0523-4482
Recommended Citation
Guerreiro, Phillip, "The Dammed Mekong: China's Motivations for Hydropower Development in the Lower Mekong Basin & Downstream Reactions" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5285.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5285
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