China's Silk Road push in Thailand may flounder on Mekong River row

A protest banner demanding to stop rapids blasting at the Mekong River, is seen at the border between Laos and Thailand April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

KHON PI LONG, Thailand (Reuters) - China's plan to blast open more of the Mekong River for bigger cargo ships could founder on a remote outcrop of half-submerged rocks that Thai protesters have vowed to protect against Beijing's economic expansion in Southeast Asia.

Dynamiting the Pi Long rapids and other sections of the Mekong between Thailand and Laos will harm the environment and bring trade advantages only to China, the protesters say.