On Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources denied media reports of a water diversion project from Russia's Lake Baikal to northern China.

Gu Hao, a ministry spokesperson, said there was "no plan to carry out research on a water diversion project from Lake Baikal."
  
The ministry is also not in contact with any foreign institute on any similar project, he said. 

Some Chinese media reported on Tuesday that plans were being discussed to divert water from Lake Baikal in Siberia, which holds 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater, via a route through Mongolia.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2005)