China/Southeast Asia: Return to Conflict for the Mekong River Delta?

Jan 21, 2018 | C. Danielle Bizier, SOFREP
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For years, the principal narrative has been a world attempting to keep China’s maritime ambitions in check in the South China Sea. With one-third of the world’s global trade carried upon these sea lines– estimated at roughly 5 trillion USD annually– it is an understandable concern. But there is another conflict brewing in the region that might become an even more volatile flashpoint in the coming decades. The Mekong Delta is known only by many Americans as a vital geographical player in the Vietnam War. But it is also home to over 60 million people who depend on the river for water consumption and fisheries resources. Securing the Mekong means securing food and water supplies for Indochinese nations like Thailand and Vietnam. And Thailand and Vietnam are among the world’s largest producers of food commodities like rice. The Mekong matters.