The politics of securitization: China’s competing security agendas and their impacts on securitizing shared rivers

Managing transboundary river basins proves a challenge for China when encountering disagreements with its neighbors that experience different political and social conditions. This paper analyzes what happens characterizes water as security issue, examining China’s fluid securitization practices, where changes can be identified indicating the Chinese government values various concerns differently. Two cases are adopted comparison. In case of sharing Mekong River, has shown willingness to incorporate more issues found both inside outside sector. contrast, in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, agenda been limited consideration availability led military concerns. The findings indicate is not only driven by concern management over specific rivers, but also judgments strategic regard countries they involved with. thus suggests complex domain demonstrates competing (de)politicizing water. Therefore, water-related cannot understood solely from an environmental policy perspective.