China’s Hydropower Investments In The Greater Mekong Sub-region And Concerns About Asymmetric International Relations

The rapid investments in large hydropower project in the GMS parallels with the rise of China as well as its initiative that promotes integration with Southeast Asia and aims at reshaping the regional economic structure.The question arises whether these developments lead to the “dominance” of China through building large technical system,and which motives and interest lie beneath its infrastructure policies.This study examines the relationship between China’s hydropower expansion in the Greater Mekong Sub-region(the GMS)and the potential appearance of China’s socio-technical preponderance.Its goal is to provide a new perspective to understand the political dimensions of infrastructures as well as the capacity of the investment in dam-building in promoting a power’s regional leadership/ an asymmetric relation.