China’s Himalayan mega dam deepens India’s water worries
Just as ties seemed to be on the mend, a US$137 billion hydropower behemoth on the Yarlung Tsangpo River threatens to muddy the waters
For centuries, this river has been a lifeline for the millions living downstream. But now, a US$137 billion hydropower project – the largest of its kind ever attempted – threatens to turn its waters into a new front in the rivalry between China and India.
Analysts warn that while the project may not provoke immediate conflict, it lays the groundwork for a contentious new chapter in a relationship already defined by mistrust, border clashes and competing regional ambitions.
“The real challenge for New Delhi and Beijing lies in preventing this issue from becoming another flashpoint in the relationship,” said Shibani Mehta, a senior research analyst with the Carnegie India think tank’s security studies programme.
But border tensions are the bigger issue colouring every other aspect of ties, according to Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of China studies at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and dean of its School of International Studies. “No progress on de-escalation in the border areas means no improvement in bilateral relations,” he told This Week in Asia.
‘In Beijing’s hands’
