A stronger tie has been created among Lancang-Mekong countries, as China's Water Resources Ministry has established a website for sharing Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation information.

"We would like to build an advanced, transparent information sharing platform. It will bring information sharing among the six countries to a new level," said E Jingping, Chinese Minister of Water Resources.

The platform's main functions include collecting, managing, and sharing data and information related to the Lancang-Mekong River. It could also provide forecasting and early warning services related to flooding and droughts.

The website was created after the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting held on August 24, 2020 – a gathering aimed to deepen communication under the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation. The cooperation officially launched four years ago. With participation from six countries connected by the river – China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – it aims to better boost water resources protection and utilize the Lancang-Mekong River.

"Currently, protectionism and unilateralism are growing around the world. With these uncertainties, the cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries has set an example for safeguarding multilateralism," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui. "China and Mekong countries will continue to enhance mutual trust and boost win-win cooperation."

Countries along the Lancang-Mekong River have also welcomed the new platform.

"As the cooperation mechanisms on water resources have been brought onto the fast track, we need to establish an Information Sharing Platform, which will help us better tackle climate change and natural disasters," said Myo Thant Pe, Ambassador of Myanmar to China. "I believe that the informative website would play a role to support not only the six Mekong-Lancang countries but also the related agencies and the world to learn how our six countries are working in sharing the hydrological information on the Mekong-Lancang River through this new platform."

The Leader of the Chinese team working for the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation, Yu Xingjun said his group would fully utilize this information sharing platform and further boost water resources cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries.

CGTN Digital visited the website and saw three kinds of information available. Hourly water level hydrographs are displayed for Yunjinghong and Manan stations. The amount of rainfall is also monitored.

The website also includes a notification section for critical information. The archived notifications since April 2018 can be found. The notifications care most about incoming drastic water level changes. For example, during the Dai people's annual Water Splashing Festival in China, the water level will be limited for more than a week.

Anyone can visit the website and check on the water level and notifications for free.