On the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Water Resources  Cooperation Forum, high-level delegations from the Mekong countries  traveled to Yichang, Hubei province, to explore the Three Gorges Dam,  the world's largest hydropower project. For many, the visit was both a  technical study trip and an eye-opening experience.

Chanthanet  Boualapha (R), vice minister of agriculture and environment of Laos, is  interviewed at the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei province, Sept.  25, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

"I am very  pleased to learn that the Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest  hydropower project," said Chanthanet Boualapha, vice minister of  agriculture and environment of Laos. "It is a very useful dam for many  purposes — navigation, flood control, irrigation, and of course  electricity production."

Straddling the Yangtze River, the Three  Gorges project is a multi-functional water-control system that includes a  dam stretching more than 2,300 meters, five-tier ship locks on both its  north and south sides, and 34 turbo-generators with a combined capacity  of 22.5 million kilowatts. 

For Boualapha, its lessons are highly  relevant to the Mekong basin, where floods regularly threaten lives and  livelihoods. "Every year we are faced with storms and flooding," he  said. "Learning more about flood management and early warning is very  useful for us so we can better prepare our people before floods come."

He  added that the project's approach to maximizing hydropower generation  could also serve as an inspiration. "It is important for us to learn how  to use water effectively," he said.

Boualapha also highlighted  the resettlement program for residents affected by the project, noting  its strong focus on livelihoods through support for schools, hospitals,  and industrial development. "A project like this is not only a  technological marvel, but also a powerful driver of better lives," he  said.

Surasri  Kidtimonton (L), secretary general of the Office of National Water  Resources of Thailand, is interviewed at the Three Gorges Dam in  Yichang, Hubei province, Sept. 25, 2025. [Photo provided to  China.org.cn]

Surasri Kidtimonton, secretary general of the  Office of National Water Resources of Thailand, described his first  trip to the dam as "really impressive."

"Beyond mitigating floods  and producing clean energy, this reservoir also delivers water to  Hanjiang river basin to ensure the water supply sources safety and other  areas where demand is high, through the South-to-North Water Diversion  Project," he noted, while the ship locks that allow vessels to bypass  the massive structure particularly caught his attention. "That's a  technology we can study and apply in Thailand."

At the Three  Gorges Project Museum, Kidtimonton also learned how the project had  worked to preserve rare plants such as the Chinese yew and dove tree, as  well as endangered animal species like the Yangtze sturgeon. He said he  hoped the Mekong countries could "better balance economic, social and  ecological development" in their own water projects.

Zhou  Zhiwei, secretary general of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources  Cooperation Center, visits the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei  province, Sept. 25, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

For  the Chinese organizers, the visit was also an opportunity to showcase  their philosophy and approach to water management. "We invited  representatives from the Mekong countries to see the dam firsthand so  they could better understand China's philosophy and technology in water  management, translating China's experience into policies and actions in  their own countries," said Zhou Zhiwei, secretary general of the  Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center. 

He added,  "Together we can raise water governance across the region and accelerate  progress toward the UN 2030 water-related goals."

Zhou said  participants were impressed by the dam's multi-functionality, as it  incorporates flood control, power generation, navigation and irrigation.  He added that many delegates expressed the hope that their own water  agencies could learn from China's experience.

In fact,  Lancang-Mekong water cooperation on capacity building is already well  underway. Over the past few years, more than 180 students from Mekong  countries have received full scholarships through the Chinese  government's Silk Road program to pursue master's degrees in China. Zhou  said that future efforts would aim to tailor training to specific  national needs, combining Chinese expertise with local challenges.

Beyond  human resources development, Zhou also pointed to the region's untapped  water potential. Despite the Mekong's relatively abundant water  resources — about 6,500 cubic meters per person annually, higher than  both the Yangtze and Danube rivers — its current utilization rate stands  at 13%, well below the other two basins, Zhou noted. This indicates  that the region enjoys favorable water resource endowments, providing  the conditions to promote sustainable development and improve  livelihoods.

"Looking ahead, we need to work together to address  the water challenges that come with modernization," Zhou said. "That  means paying more attention to water saving, systematic governance,  harmony between humans and nature, and the application of smart  technology, and further implementing the Five-Year Plan of Action on  Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2023-2027)."

He called  for closer policy coordination among the six countries along the river,  encouraging that more effective water cooperation outcomes can be  achieved to help build "Lancang-Mekong Cooperation 2.0," characterized  by unity and cooperation, openness and win-win outcomes, green  innovation, and peace and tranquility.