India has reacted sharply to China’s aggressive moves including that of building a large dam on Brahmaputra and creation of two new counties which include parts of Indian territories. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson on Friday said India has lodged a protest with China over the creation of two new counties in Hotan prefecture and has also conveyed its concerns to Beijing over the construction of a dam on the Brahmaputra river.
India On Chinese Hydropower Project
“We have seen the information released by Xinhua on 25 December 2024 regarding a hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. As a lower riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed , through expert-level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over mega projects on rivers in their territory,” said Jaiswal.
He further said that India has reiterated its concerns, along with the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report. “The Chinese side has been urged to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas. We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests,” he said.
Concerns have been raised that the dam could negatively affect the ecological balance of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, through which the Brahmaputra River flows. On December 25, China announced plans to build the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near its border with India. The project, estimated to cost approximately USD 137 billion, will be situated in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. According to available information, the dam will be constructed at a massive gorge in the Himalayan stretch where the Brahmaputra makes a sharp U-turn before entering Arunachal Pradesh and later flowing into Bangladesh.
Amid concerns, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning played down the apprehensions about the project last week. “The project will not negatively affect the lower reaches,” she said.
MEA On Hotan Counties
Reacting to the creation of two new counties in the Hotan Prefectures of China, Jaiswal said that such moves would not lend legitimacy to Beijing’s “illegal and forcible” occupation in the region. China’s announcement on establishing the two counties came days after Special Representatives of the two nations resumed boundary talks that had been stalled for almost five years.
“We have seen the announcement pertaining to the establishment of two new counties in Hotan Prefecture of China. Parts of the jurisdiction of these so-called counties fall in India’s Union Territory of Ladakh. We have never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in Creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India’s long-standing and consistent position regarding our sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China’s illegal and forcible occupation. the same,” said the MEA, adding that India has ‘lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels’.