I was scrolling through Instagram, as one does, when a particularly arresting image stopped me. Roughly hewn wooden beams and rafters holding up a high ceiling. Puffs of steam caught in the light.

a firm majority-owned by the Chinese state-run China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group. "before the 18th of February this was a vibrant and alive river," a local resident Sean Cornelius said.

A view of the Mekong River bordering Thailand and Laos is seen from the Thai side in Nong Khai, Thailand, on Oct 29, 2019. [Photo/Agencies] China and five other countries in the Lancang-Mekong ...