Agreement on commercial navigation of Mekong River

In 2000, China signed an agreement on commercial navigation with Myanmar, Laos and Thailand to permits ships of up to 500 tons to trade between Yunnan and Luang Prabang, a distance of 886 kilometers.
The maximum size of vessels previously able to navigate this stretch of the river was only 120 tons, so to allow larger ships to pass, China agreed to carry out the removal of all major rapids, shoals and reefs that obstructed navigation. As with the dam developments, downstream countries – Cambodia and Vietnam – were not consulted.
According to Tyson Roberts the eventual Chinese goal is actually to succeed where the French failed, and make the Mekong navigable all the way to the South China Sea. The construction of the upstream dams is also a tool to that end, allowing the maintenance of navigable water levels throughout the dry season.
This has already occurred, as during the very low-year levels of March- April 2004 extra water was released from the Manwan and Dachaoshan dams to raise the river level and enable cargo to continue to trade between Yunnan and Chiang Saen, Thailand. One 1st May 2004, after three years of clearing, the first 3,000 tons Chinese vessels reached Chiang Saen. In 2004 more than 3,000 vessels are expected to dock at Chiang Saen, up from less than 1,000 in 2003, and plans are underway o build a second port capable o handing ships of 500 tons.