Opinion | Tibet’s quake is a seismic warning to China and India over their mega dam ambitions

Just as border tensions seemed to be easing, the Yarlung Tsangpo River project raises new questions between the two countries

Reading Time:3 minutes

The project in Tibet will dwarf the Three Gorges Dam. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:36pm, 14 Jan 2025Updated: 9:45pm, 14 Jan 2025

Beijing’s announcement of a new mega dam project on the world’s highest river near the disputed border on the Tibetan Plateau with India did not come as a complete surprise.

The damming of the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River had been rumoured for years, but the timing of the news – in a state media release on Christmas Day – suggested that Beijing had anticipated controversy and was keen to avoid scrutiny, especially from New Delhi.

Such concerns were not unreasonable, given the sheer scale of the project – at more than three times the size of the Three Gorges Dam.

China’s damming of Tibetan rivers has long been a source of tension between the Asian giants, along with repeated disputes over their Himalayan border.

Those long-standing strains had started to ease late last year, with Beijing and New Delhi signing an agreement to de-escalate border tensions and the leaders of the two countries having a rare meeting – all within the same week in October.

Relations appeared to improve further on December 17, when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that one of Beijing’s diplomatic priorities for 2025 was to improve ties with New Delhi.