Beijing [China], August 7 (ANI): The Yarlung Zangbo dam project, which China describes as part of its renewable energy transition, has raised concerns over its strategic and geopolitical implications due to its location, scale, and timing, according to an opinion piece in Geopolitical Monitor.
Set to surpass the Three Gorges Dam and generate approximately 70 gigawatts of power, the project comes amid heightened regional tensions. China’s decision to advance construction underscores a calculated understanding of the shifting dynamics of water diplomacy in South Asia and signals its willingness to weaponize river systems, the report states.
The downstream consequences of China’s dam construction are significant, impacting multiple countries and hundreds of millions of people. The Yarlung Zangbo River becomes the Brahmaputra once it enters India, where it supports around 130 million people and irrigates six million hectares of farmland across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and other northeastern states, according to Geopolitical Monitor.
India’s response, including the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, indicates an awareness that protective infrastructure is now necessary. However, the Indian initiative also faces considerable challenges, including environmental concerns and opposition from local communities—democratic hurdles that are less pronounced in authoritarian regimes like China’s.
The 11,000-megawatt dam planned in Arunachal Pradesh, while significant, is insufficient to neutralize China’s upstream leverage. The power imbalance—China as the upstream hegemon versus India’s downstream defensive stance—means Beijing is likely to retain long-term strategic advantages, the report notes.
In July, after India raised concerns about the Yarlung Zangbo hydropower project, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the project lies entirely within Chinese sovereign territory. He added that China has cooperated with downstream countries on hydrological data sharing, flood control, and project-related communications.
Since 2000, China has constructed or approved nearly 193 hydroelectric projects in Tibet. Of these, roughly 80 percent are classified as major or massive in scale. While more than 60 percent remain in planning or early development stages, if completed, these projects could displace over 1.2 million people and destroy numerous sacred sites, according to Geopolitical Monitor. (ANI)
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