Addressing Water Security in the People's Republic of CHINA

This publication is derived from the inputs of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016?2020) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in addressing the country’s water security issue. The  analytical framework and substantial amount of data used in this report were based on previous research endeavors. In particular, the Asian Water Development Outlook (2013 and 2016 editions), copublished by ADB,

the Global Water Partner ship, and the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, provided regional and national quantitative scoring of water security. The World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas offered insights into the hidden water resources of the PRC that were either overexploited or undervalued: groundwater, stormwater, wastewater, and the infrastructure to carry them to productive market and environmental ends.

Qingfeng Zhang, dire ctor of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division of ADB’s East Asia Department and concurrently chair of the Water Sector Group, initiated the conception and drafting of this knowledge product and provided overall guidance in the production of this publication. Rabindra Osti, water resources specialist at ADB, facilitated the finalization and publishing of the report.

The report benefited from close cooperation with the Government of the PRC, particularly the Ministry of Water Resources. ADB is grateful to the following World Resources Institute specialists who shared their expertise and contributed to the publication: Lijin Zhong, China Water lead/senior associate, and Tien Shiao, former Aqueduct senior associate.