Western China includes 12 provincial divisions (the 7 provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shangxi, Gansu, Qinghai and; 5 autonomous regions of Tibet, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Guangxi; and one city of Chongqing), which comprise 71.4% of the national land area, 28.5% of the national population and produce 17.5% of the national GDP in China. There are 17 countries that have riparian relationships with wester n China, most of which are water -short countries. All are listed by UN ESCAP as countries with potential water crisis. The co-operative development and coordinated management of international rivers in western China is an important step toward the implementation of the national Great Western Development program. Taking into account of the national strategy and object hierarchy, as well as the development demand of the western region, it is necessary to pursue the multi-disciplinary study of the equitable allocation, utilisation, and eco-environment protection of transboundary water resource in the region. Such efforts will undoubtedly provide scientific evidence and support for the decision-making of the environmental protection and ecological construction and management in the western region, the enforcement of the sub-regional economic co-operation, mitigation of trans-boundary conflicts, and enhancing bio-diversity conservation.

Through analyzing the difference and complementarity in the thydrogengraphic characteristitcs, socioeconomic conditions, water resources development objectives and relative problems between regions in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin, an integrated multiobjective optimum utilization planning of water resources is proposed, so as to reduce the damage to environment and to facillatte the sustainble development of the basin.