Hydrological data sharing portal for Lancang-Mekong countries launched

Phone photo taken on Nov. 30, 2020 shows guests posing for a group photo at the launching ceremony of a website for sharing water resources information among six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River, in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Liu Shiping)

BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- A website for sharing water resources information among six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River was launched Monday in Beijing, paving the way for enhanced sharing of hydrological data, knowledge, experience and technologies.

Lancang and Mekong differ in name but refer to the same river. It is called Lancang in China and Mekong after flowing out of the country into Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

China has officially provided the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) countries with the river's hydrological information during the dry season starting from Nov. 1 this year, said E Jingping, minister of water resources, at the launching ceremony of the website.

"We hope that the water resources authorities of the six countries will fully leverage the website and accelerate building the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Information Sharing Platform, offering policy basis and technical support for the comprehensive management, exploration and protection of water resources of Lancang-Mekong River," the minister said.

The cooperation platform is expected to help the Lancang-Mekong countries better tackle climate change and natural disasters such as floods and droughts.

The LMC mechanism was launched in March 2016, and the water resources cooperation is among the LMC's priorities.