China said on Wednesday that any hydroelectric project on the Yarlung Zangbo River, known as Brahmaputra in Assam, will be planned with the interests of downstream countries like India in mind.
Chinese embassy spokesman Ji Rong described Beijing’s position in response to reports that a planned “super” dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, near the Royal Line of Control (LAC) in Tibet, It could have had consequences for the water security of the northeastern states of India.
The cross-border Yarlung Zangbo, which originates from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), flows into Arunachal Pradesh, where it is called Siang, and then to Assam as the Brahmaputra before flowing into Bangladesh.
Chinese state media reported on Sunday that the dam would be built in Medog county in TAR, near India’s Arunachal Pradesh state, and that its hydroelectric power generation capacity could be three times the size of the Three Dam. Gorges, in central China, which has the largest installed capacity in the world. China has already built several smaller dams in Yarlung Zangbo.
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Responding to concerns that the new projects in Yarlung Zangbo will impact downstream countries, spokesperson Ji said in a statement: “Any project will undergo scientific planning and demonstration with full consideration of the impact on downstream areas and interests. upstream and downstream countries.
“At present, the development downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River is still in the preliminary planning and demonstration stage. There is no need to over-interpret it. ”
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Ji also said that China “has always adopted a responsible attitude towards the development and use of transboundary rivers” and has a policy according to which “protection goes hand in hand with development.”
Chinese state media had reported that initial work on the “super” dam had started with Power Construction Corporation of China, or Powerchina, signing a cooperation agreement with the TAR government on October 16.
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