India states it has raised concerns with China over the construction of a hydropower dam in Tibet
India has expressed its concerns to China over plans to build a massive hydropower dam on the Yarlung Zangbo river in Tibet, which flows into India as the Brahmaputra, the Indian foreign ministry said on Friday.
Chinese officials maintain that the dam will have minimal impact on the environment and downstream water supplies. However, India and Bangladesh have raised objections due to potential risks. The Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra river as it enters India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states before flowing into Bangladesh.
"The Chinese side has been urged to ensure that activities in upstream areas do not harm the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra," said Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly briefing. He added, "We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests."
The dam, expected to be the largest of its kind globally with a capacity of 300 billion kilowatt-hours annually, received approval last month.
Additionally, New Delhi lodged a formal protest against Beijing’s creation of two new counties, one of which includes a disputed area claimed by India. "Creation of new counties will neither impact India’s consistent position on sovereignty nor legitimize China’s illegal occupation," Jaiswal stated.
Relations between India and China, strained since a deadly border clash in 2020, have shown signs of improvement. The two nations agreed in October to withdraw troops from the last two standoff points in the western Himalayas. Recent talks between senior officials, the first in five years, saw agreements to take incremental steps toward improving ties.
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