Murky waters for India as Beijinggoes ahead with Tibetan dams

Leaving aside disturbing memories from the Doklam standoff in 2017, Galvan valley clash in 2020, and Beijing's covert support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, India proposes a cordial ambience through various confidence-building measures with China.

- NAVA THAKURIA

New Delhi recently welcomed China's foreign minister Wang Yi and his successful visit showcased the pragmatic actions to normalize the bilateral relation between the two most populous nations on Earth. Months back, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and very recently foreign minister S Jaishankar visited China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to leave for Beijing for an important summit. But amidst all opening up initiatives, Beijing has not deterred on its mission to go ahead with a colossal hydropower dam in Tibet that may put significant environmental, agriculture and livelihood impacts for millions of residents in lower riparian countries namely India and Bangladesh.

The Chinese Communist Party regime remains determined to achieve the carbon-neutrality by 2060 and so its energy diversification plan will continue including the proposed dam on Yarlung Zangbo/ Tsangpo river (it becomes Brahmaputra in the downstream localities) at Medog locality of Tibet autonomous region. The groundbreaking ceremony of the USD 167.8 billion dam was organized on 19 July 2025, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang was also present to describe the project as an engineering marvel. Termed as the world's largest hydropower project, the Medog dam should generate nearly 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year once it's commissioned by 2033. Beijing had constructed a number of small dams on Tsangpo before planning for the Medog power station, which is located hardly 30 kilometres away from Arunachal Pradesh, raising strategic concerns for India.