China's Global Role

China's Dam Builders to the World

Thursday, September 15, 2011
Originally published in Asia Sentinel Mytsone Dam in Burma is just one of hundreds in a dam-building spreeConfirmation that construction will continue on the Mytsone dam on the Irrawaddy River spotlights the vast dam-building capability of Chinese engineers, who are involved in building at least 251 dams in 68 countries across the world, according to the NGO International Rivers. In July, the Burma Rivers Network, which opposes the Mytsone dam, released a 945-page environmental impact study opposing the dam that was done by the China Power Investment Corp. itself, the Chinese state-owned enti

Aung San Suu Kyi Joins the Campaign to Save the Irrawaddy

Having worked in the Australian Prime Minister's Department and now at International Rivers, I've found myself in a panic about what I call "bad things" on three occasions.* Given the current rate of biodiversity decline and scale of environmental disasters, it sadly takes a lot to make it into my bucket list. The Myitsone project on the confluence of the N'Mali and Mali Rivers, and the start of the mighty Irrawaddy River, is one of three things which have stressed and for lack of a better word to describe the emotional impact, freaked me out. The proposed mega project (and it is indeed

UNESCO World Heritage Committee: Inscribes Río Plátano onto the List of World Heritage in Danger

Thursday, July 21, 2011
In its 2011 annual meeting, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve onto the List of World Heritage in Danger. It has also urged Honduras to prove to IUCN and the World Heritage Centre that dams on the Patuca River (one of which is being built by Sinohydro) will not negatively impact of the site. Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)The World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.31 Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B.Add, Recalling Decision 34 COM 7B.34, adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),Takes note that the State Party has stabilized

Letter to Dongfang Electric Corporation and the Gibe 3 Project

Monday, September 27, 2010
Mr. Luo Zhigang President Dongfang Electric Corporation 333 Shuhan Avenue, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610036 China September 27, 2010 Dongfang Electric Corporation and the Gibe 3 Project Dear Mr. Luo, On May 12 you, on behalf of Dongfang Electric Corporation, signed an agreement with the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) to provide the hydro-mechanical and electro mechanical component of the Gibe 3 Dam project. We recently learned that the Industrial and Construction Bank of China (ICBC) in July approved funding to finance DEC's contract. DEC is seeking to build its internatio

Chinese Financiers

Chinese banks have emerged as a major financier over the past few years, lending more money to developing countries than the World Bank, to support Chinese exports and businesses overseas. China Exim Bank funds most of China's overseas dams. Through the use of concessional loans, China Exim Bank has financed dams in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Other state-owned and partially private banks have been involved in dam building overseas.

Chinese Dam Builders

Over the past five years, the appetite for large hydropower projects by South-east Asian and African countries has increased significantly and created an opportunity for Chinese companies, supported by Chinese government loans to become involved in international dam building. China's state owned Sinohydro Corporation estimated to have as much as a 50 per cent share of the international market.

中国的大坝项目将在苏丹引发新的冲突

Protest against the Kajbar Dam in Sudan
Friday, January 21, 2011
白好德 国际河流政策主任 Protest against the Kajbar Dam in Sudan 在苏丹,已建成的数座大坝让数以万计的人们沦为赤贫,且造成多起侵犯人权的恶性事件。如今,中国的公司又斩获多份合同,要在该国修建另外三座水电大坝。尤其令人担忧的是,尼罗河大坝计划将危及卡及巴尔附近古努比亚人的家园。这个大坝项目已经造成严重的人权侵害行为。受影响的人们强烈反对该项工程,可以说,该地区已出现另一个达富尔冲突的幽灵。 苏丹政府计划将喀土穆附近

China’s Influence on World’s Rivers Grows

Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review Since World Rivers Review last took stock of Chinese dam builders in 2007, China has emerged as the world leader in the international hydropower industry. The number of overseas Chinese dam projects that we are aware of has increased from 46 to 266. Chinese overseas dam builders are now active in 65 countries. Developing countries have welcomed Chinese dam builders and the loans offered by Chinese banks. While all these new dams don't bode well for the world's rivers, some potentially positive trends are emerging. Just a few years ago, Chinese companie

World Rivers Review: Focus on the New Dam Builders - December 2010

Special Focus: The New Dam BuildersChina, Brazil and India are not only growing global economic powerhouses, they are increasingly fueling a dam-building boom outside their borders. Our campaigners in the field report on these newly powerful dam builders and the regions they are targeting. Download the December 2010 issue Mekong River: A new report urges a ten-year dam-building freeze on the Mekong River. Commentary: Patrick McCully bids a fond Farewell as he leaves his role as Executive Director of International Rivers. Making Waves: News and notes on the worldwide movement to protect rive

The Gibe 3 Dam – A Test Case for China’s Role in Africa

Farmer in the Omo Valley
Farmer in the Omo Valley Getahun Tolla The Gibe 3 Dam in Ethiopia is Africa’s most destructive dam project. So far, the Ethiopian government has not managed to attract any international finance for it. After several other funders pulled out, China’s biggest bank is expected to decide about a loan for Gibe 3 soon. The decision is an important test case for the environmental responsibility of China’s overseas lenders. The Gibe 3 Dam is currently under construction on Ethiopia’s Omo River. As we have documented in eyewitness reports, articles and commentaries, the dam could lead to the

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