China on Friday defended its decision to approve the building of the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet and said that their hydropower development in the lower reaches will not negatively affect area.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the project aimed to speed up developing clean energy, and respond to climate change and extreme hydrological disasters.
“China has always been responsible for the development of cross-border rivers. China’s hydropower development in the lower reaches of the
Yarlung Zangbo River
aims to speed up developing clean energy, and respond to climate change and extreme hydrological disasters. The hydropower development there has been studied in an in-depth way for decades, and safeguard measures have been taken for the security of the project and ecological environment protection,” Ning said.
” The project will not negatively affect the lower reaches. China will continue to maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches through existing channels, and step up cooperation on disaster prevention and relief for the benefit of the people by the river,” she added.
China approved on Wednesday the construction of what will be the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet near the Indian border, triggering apprehension in India and Bangladesh.
An official statement confirmed that the hydropower project will be constructed in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which is the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra River.
The construction site is located at a significant gorge where the Brahmaputra River forms a U-turn before flowing into Arunachal Pradesh and subsequently into Bangladesh.
According to Mao, China’s hydropower development along the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River intends to accelerate
clean energy development
whilst addressing climate change and severe hydrological events.
The project’s total investment is expected to exceed one trillion yuan (USD 137 billion), surpassing all other infrastructure projects globally, including China’s Three Gorges Dam, currently considered the world’s largest, as reported by the South China Morning Post on Thursday.
In 2015, China commenced operations of the USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, Tibet’s largest facility.
The Brahmaputra dam project was incorporated into China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and National Economic and Social Development, along with Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, adopted by the CPC Plenum in 2020.
India’s concerns stem from China’s potential ability to control water flow and possibly release large volumes during conflicts, given the dam’s unprecedented scale.
India is currently constructing its own dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.
In 2006, India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism to address trans-border river issues, facilitating China’s sharing of hydrological data for the Brahmaputra and Sutlej Rivers during flood seasons.
Trans-border river data sharing was discussed during talks between Indian NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, serving as Special Representatives for border questions, on December 18.
The Ministry of External Affairs reported that the Special Representatives provided constructive guidance for cross-border cooperation, including trans-border river data sharing.
The dam’s construction faces significant engineering challenges due to its location on a tectonic plate boundary prone to earthquakes.
The Tibetan plateau, known as the world’s roof, experiences frequent seismic activity due to its position above tectonic plates.
