India raises Brahmaputra dam plan with China, objects to new counties in Aksai Chin

Delhi has also lodged a protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels over China’s establishment of two new counties in its Hotan Prefecture since parts of jurisdiction of these counties fall in the Union Territory of Ladakh, in the Aksai Chin area.

Sources told The Indian Express that India was not informed by the Chinese side about the construction of the Brahmaputra dam project, which is the convention between the two countries, and learnt of it from media reports – the project is to cost an estimated $137 billion.

Indian officials then reached out to their Chinese counterparts about sharing information in advance, and consulting India and Bangladesh, the downstream countries.

On Friday, responding to questions, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “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. These have been reiterated, 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.

The Chinese government approved the construction of a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra, according to an official statement quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency on December 26.

The dam is to be built at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra river makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh.

The total investment in the dam could exceed one trillion yuan (USD 137 billion), which would dwarf any other single infrastructure project on the planet including China’s own Three Gorges Dam, regarded as the largest in the world, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had played down apprehensions about the massive project located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently. Mao said China had carried out in-depth studies for decades and took safeguard measures.

“The project will not negatively affect the lower reaches,” she said, referring to concerns in India and Bangladesh.

On the new counties in the Aksai Chin area, Jaiswal said, “We have seen the announcement pertaining to the establishment of two new counties in Hotan Prefecture of China. Parts of 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 this area. 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 of the same. We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” he said.

On December 27, Xinhua reported that the government of the northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had announced the establishment of two new counties in the region: He’an County and Hekang County.

The establishment of the counties, both administered by the Hotan Prefecture, had been approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. The county seat of He’an is Hongliu township, while the county seat of Hekang is Xeyidula township, it said.