China defends plan to build world's largest dam over Brahmaputra River in Tibet; says will not affect lower reaches

China defends plan to build world's largest dam on Brahmaputra river, addressing safety and environmental concerns.

China on Friday (December 27, 2024) defended its plan to build the world's largest dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, saying the project will not “negatively affect” lower riparian states and that safety issues have been addressed through decades of studies.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning played down apprehensions about the massive project to dam the Brahmaputra river, which is called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet. The project estimated to cost around ₹137 billion is located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently.

Ms. Mao said China carried out in-depth studies for decades and took safeguard measures.

China has always been responsible for the development of cross-border rivers, Ms. Mao told a media briefing here in response to a question on the concerns related to the dam.

She said the hydropower development there has been studied in depth for decades, and safeguard measures have been taken to ensure the project's security and ecological environment protection.

"The project will not negatively affect the lower reaches," she said referring to the concerns in India and Bangladesh which are the lower riparian states.

“China will continue to maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches through existing channels and step up cooperation on disaster prevention and relief for the benefit of the people by the river," she said.