Abstract
The scarcity of clean fresh water as well as fresh water as a resource are and will remain vital state interests. Thus research and publications on fresh water issues always draw attention. The dimensions and importance of Chinese international watercourses make fresh water issues even more salient. This book addresses holistic management concerns of an upstream state, rich in water resources and advantaged by the geolocation of 40 major transboundary watercourses. The authors acknowledge their concerns about the securitization of water resources in China (pp. 31, 53, and 75), and their research examines the local and regional impact of water as a critical economic and social asset (p. 26).
Lei Xie and Shaofeng Jia’s book makes a robust contribution to the discussion of international fresh watercourses by combining the Chinese perspective on national interests with the Global South narrative of riparian neighbouring states, all of which are developing countries. Xie and Jia examine and link research areas such as human security, diplomacy, intergovernmental relations, and policies, and the authors contribute insights to the current debate on fresh water management in relation to sustainability and the reduction of tension and conflict.
The book is divided into 10 chapters, which in turn are organized into three main parts: (1) a description of resources and discussion of national and international theoretical debates; (2) four Chinese river basins as case studies selected according to three criteria (p. 80) (asymmetries in the security of the countries involved; the political system of the countries concerned; and differences in the economic growth of those countries); and (3) comparison, conclusions, and policy recommendations. Illustrations comprising images, tables and boxes have a clear academic value. Furthermore, the authors use technical, diplomatic, legal, and political language effectively, and they do a good job of clarifying concepts (one good example is the Chinese interpretation of ‘equity’ presented on p. 150).
The book proposes three research questions: to what extent is China likely to adopt global water norms? (p. 10); what are the outcomes of China’s diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts and promote sustainable water management? (p. 12); and what is China’s rationale behind water cooperation? (p. 13). Xie and Jia’s main argument rests on the following ideas: water is a multifaceted resource and a multisided issue; cooperation in water management is complex; and water is one of China’s security issues. Failing to achieve meaningful and substantial cooperation with its riparian neighbour states is not an option because this would endanger China’s regional security (p. 211). Because of China’s superpower status (pp. 12, 13, 14, and 76), the country has no other option but to take a leading diplomatic role and build trust (pp. 70, 71, 185, 192, 213, and 214) and consequently set up multilevel governance and basin-wide management. Xie and Jia likewise suggest that China has taken relatively concrete and successful steps in relation to Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, but not India and the Lower Mekong countries. Indeed, gaining trust requires a holistic diplomatic approach to water and non-water-related issues and solutions which are mutually acceptable to China’s riparian neighbours. As the authors mention on p. 197, peacemaking is a fundamental incentive for China’s water diplomacy.
Xie and Jia have a firm grasp of the complexity of the institutional allocation of power in China (which they characterize as asymmetric decentralization (p. 32)), and a clear perception of the main challenges in the implementation of water-related policies. Thus, the main value of this book is the ability of the authors to identify clearly the dilemmas that China is facing in managing its international rivers according to its national interests, Chinese administrative organization, from the perspective of international law (pp. 197 and 207), multilateral asymmetries, and the growing importance of fresh water as an economic asset, a social instrument, and a peacemaking issue. Legal petitioners, decision makers, international organizations involved in water issues, international entrepreneurs, academics and students looking to learn more about China are among those who will greatly benefit from reading this book.