India redflags China’s mega dam plan in Tibet, 2 new counties in occupied Ladakh
Hindustan TimesNEW DELHI: India on Friday flagged its concerns about China’s plan to build a mega-dam on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river and the creation of two counties in an illegally occupied section of Ladakh, with the external affairs ministry saying these matters had been formally taken up with Beijing. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to a report by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency on December 25 about the plan to build a hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and said the matter was taken up with Beijing to emphasise the need for consultations with downstream countries. He said, “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.” India’s concerns were reiterated following the latest report, “along with need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries”, Jaiswal said. 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,” Jaiswal said.