国际河流的地缘政治格局及其形成机制研究：以澜湄跨境水治理为例

International rivers are natural connections between riparian countries. They are also important channels through which the “Belt and Road Initiative” is promoted. China as the most important upstream country in the world, encounters many international disputes stemmed from international rivers, and thus needs to pay more attention to geopolitical issues (e.g., ecology, food and energy) that are embedded in transboundary water courses. The Lancang-Mekong River is the largest international river in Southeast Asia. It signifies an important mechanism for building new geopolitical relations between China and the lower Mekong countries, namely, the Lancang-Mekong collaboration mechanism. How to understand the geopolitics of Lancang-Mekong transboundary water governance and tell China’s story to the world in a good way is an extremely important and yet understudied subject. Through text analysis and Q methodology, this project first examines the geopolitical narratives and imaginations of both state and non-state actors concerning the “Lancang-Mekong collaboration” at different scales and dimensions. Then, it analyzes the mechanism of how such geopolitical representations have been formed based on first-hand evidence collected through ethnographic fieldwork on typical events such as hydropower development in lower Mekong countries. Last, it provides the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises with suggestions on how to respond to geopolitical challenges and how to shape geopolitical discourse at various scales. This project could make theoretical contribution to geopolitical research with critical and hydropolitical perspectives. It will also offer empirical insights into how China could improve its capacity in participating in global governance and in protecting its national interests worldwide.

国际河流是联系流域国家的天然纽带，也是“一带一路”倡议的推进通道。我国作为全球最重要的上游水道国，面临诸多跨境水引起的国际争端，因而急需关注国际河流所承载的生态、粮食、能源等地缘政治问题。澜沧江—湄公河是东南亚最大的国际河流，以此为依托的“澜湄合作”是我国与下游五国打造新型地缘关系的重要机制。如何把握澜湄跨境水治理的地缘政治格局，向世界讲好中国故事，是极为重要但尚未充分研究的议题。本项目首先通过语义分析和Q方法勾勒国家和非国家行为体在多尺度、多维度下对澜湄合作的地缘政治叙事和想象；其次以社会人类学方法分析水电开发等跨境水治理事件中的权力关系和权力运作方式，揭示地缘政治格局的形成机制；最后提出我国政府和企业在各尺度上构建地缘政治话语，推进澜湄合作的举措。本研究以批判地缘政治和水政治视角丰富地缘政治研究的理论内涵；对提升我国参与全球环境治理能力，维护国家和企业的境外利益，也具有实践意义。

跨境河流的经济、社会、生态等多重属性使之成为重要的地缘政治议题。现实主义和制度主义分析容易陷入“领域陷阱”，难以充分呈现中微观层面的多元主体互动以及权力结构和自然要素的相互塑造过程。本研究在政治地理学辩证性和关系性的思维基础上，引入“水-社会领域”和水治理术的概念框架的基本特征，并通过澜湄合作的案例将其应用在跨境河流地缘关系分析中。该框架从权力-空间关系的视角出发，包含多元尺度、多维空间、关系网络和领域建构等分析维度。本研究勾勒了国家和非国家行为体在多尺度、多维度下围绕澜湄合作的地缘政治叙事和想象，并分析了跨境水治理事件中的权力关系和权力运作方式，揭示地缘政治格局的形成机制，最后提出了我国政府和企业在各尺度上构建地缘政治话语，推进澜湄合作的举措。国际河流治理是领域（再）生产的过程，水资源是治理过程不可分割的组成部分，自然与社会具有相互建构的辩证关系。理论上，本研究以批判地缘政治和水政治视角丰富地缘政治研究的理论内涵，并将政治地理学的核心概念“领域”运用于水治理研究中，对国际河流治理的地缘关系解析具有独特的地理学价值和意义。实践上，本研究对提升我国参与全球水治理能力，维护国家和企业的境外利益，也具有实践意义。