Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China's Emerging Role in the Mekong Region

The document analyzes China's economic engagement with Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, noting a trade structure dominated by Chinese imports of natural resources and exports of manufactured goods. It highlights the role of Chinese state-owned enterprises in hydropower, agribusiness, and mining, while noting a gap between China's stated willingness to adopt international best practices and the poor social and environmental track records of its companies abroad.

• China's trade with Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam is primarily characterized by the import of natural resources and the export of manufactured goods, which differs from its more complex, less resource-intensive trade relationships with Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
• Chinese state-owned enterprises are primary drivers of natural resource extraction in the region, dominating hydropower projects and providing capital for agricultural inputs in Cambodia and Laos, as well as investing in mineral exploitation across all three countries.
• Despite efforts to adopt green credit policies and international best practices to improve its global profile, many Chinese state-owned companies in the mining and hydropower sectors maintain poor environmental and social records internationally.

APA

IISD,, H. B. S. W. (2009). Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China's Emerging Role in the Mekong Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rethinking-investments-natural-resources-chinas-emerging-role-mekong-region-0

Chicago

IISD,, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, WWF,. Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China's Emerging Role in the Mekong Region. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rethinking-investments-natural-resources-chinas-emerging-role-mekong-region-0.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=IISD, |first1=Heinrich Böll Stiftung, WWF, |title=Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China's Emerging Role in the Mekong Region |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2 February 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rethinking-investments-natural-resources-chinas-emerging-role-mekong-region-0 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{iisd2009rethinking, author = {IISD,, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, WWF,}, title = {{Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China's Emerging Role in the Mekong Region}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rethinking-investments-natural-resources-chinas-emerging-role-mekong-region-0}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }