Rising China as a Factor of Thailand's Policy towards the Mekong River Issue

The aim of the study is to analyze the rising role of China in the Mekong River as a factor that affects Thailand’s policy in the Mekong River. Since China has increased its role in the Mekong River Basin, the region has been driven into cross-border investment development, particularly in hydropower project development, causing water fluctuation to affect people living along the Lower Mekong River. Since China has a more preferable position as an upstream country and a stronger relative cumulative power, China creates both economic opportunities and structural restraints for Thailand’s policy in the Mekong river, so the negative effects of China’s presence in the region for Thailand are usually linked to violation of its national or community interests. In this regard, the Thai government is unable to take the lead in confrontation with China or effectively solve the problem. Instead, Thai civil societies are taking the problem seriously because they are directly affected by China’s presence.