Water Use Efficiency and Influencing Factors in the Mekong River Basin Region Based on Grey Relational Analysis

Water is one of the most important resources. As the most important transboundary river in Asia, the Mekong River, plays a significant role in the development of aquatic ecosystems in the Belt and Road Initiative. The water utilization status of the Mekong River Basin Region and the Mekong River transboundary distribution and development are examined. A non-radial direction distance function is used to analyze the water use efficiency of the Mekong River Basin Region from two perspectives: total-factor and water-factor. The influencing factors of water use efficiency are discussed in terms of grey relational analysis. The results reveal that water use efficiency in Qinghai, Yunnan, Thailand and Cambodia 's at a relatively optimal level, but in Tibet, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam it is relatively low. Economic development level, technological progress, industrial structure, trade and foreign investment all influence water use efficiency; the level if economic development has the greatest effect.