In October last year, India and China agreed to disengage troops along their disputed border. Commentators thought it was the beginning of a detente, though many skeptics doubted it.
Nevertheless, the breakthrough catalyzed a formal meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia.
That meeting was, in all probability, crucial for the two countries to move forward meaningfully, widening the scope of mutual understanding.
Beijing & Global South
This week, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri was on a two-day visit to Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry reported that its foreign vice-minister, Sun Weidong, held talks with the Indian foreign secretary under a foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism purporting to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust.
In a statement released on January 28, Beijing said the two sides had agreed to resume flights between China and India and “take measures to facilitate personnel exchanges and the exchange of journalists between the two countries.”
According to the SCMP, the Chinese top diplomat told Misri that the two neighbors should “commit to mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual achievement rather than mutual suspicion and mutual alienation.”
The Chinese side was more reassuring than the Indian side during the talks in Beijing. For example, Wang Yi, the most important leader on the Chinese side after President Xi, went on to say that the improvement and development of China–India relations is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples; it is conducive to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South countries.
He went on to say that improving bilateral relations is conducive to contributing to peace, stability, development, and prosperity in Asia and the world.
The language of the Chinese diplomat can be interpreted in different ways. By bringing in the Global South countries and India and China’s friendship being conducive to promoting their legitimate rights and interests, China projects herself along with India as the crucial country for the Global South.
It has to be noted that India broached the concept of the Global South at the New Delhi G-20 Declaration. The African delegates at the G-20 hailed India as the pioneer of the Global South vision. China wants to share the accolades and thereby win the hearts of the African states.
India-China Ties: The Irritant
While speculations about the two countries readying for wider and more important talks that would improve relations were rife, Beijing made a surprising announcement that took Indian policy planners by surprise.
China revealed that it plans to build a US$137 billion hydropower dam in the autonomous region of Tibet.
The project is planned to be built on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows into India and is called Brahmaputra. New Delhi expressed its concern about the plan, which has the potential for adverse impact on the water channel on the Indian side. Brahmaputra water is a source of livelihood for millions of Indians downstream.
At the same time, the proposed dam could be a big ecological threat to India. It could result in periods of severe drought and colossal floods, affecting the lives of millions of Indians.
At a press conference in New Delhi last Friday, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said that Beijing has been urged “to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in the upstream area.”
In his commentary on the Chinese project, Abhishek Chakraborty wrote in the World News on January 4: “Last week, China announced that it is building the world’s largest dam in Tibet – even larger than the Three Gorges dam, which according to NASA, has slowed the Earth’s rotation by 0.06 seconds. But unlike that one, which is built in Central China, the new one will be built in an environmentally-sensitive Himalayan zone in Tibet, very close to the border.”
It has to be noted that the region in which the dam will be located is geologically fragile. It falls in a high seismic zone and is prone to earthquakes of relatively higher magnitude. These are no small concerns New Delhi has conveyed to Beijing.
In a note to Beijing, the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi reiterated its rights to the river’s waters while also seeking transparency over Beijing’s plans.
It will be remembered that according to international law, “as a riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through an expert level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over the mega project,” said the MEA spokesman in an interview.
The Dam
The dam on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau is located in the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo) or Brahmaputra. The ambitious project, which is part of China’s 14th five-year plan, aims to produce 300 billion kWh of electricity annually. It will be the biggest infrastructure project globally.
At 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, this new dam will more than triple the 88.2 billion kWh designed capacity of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest.
During the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, China had to resettle more than 1.4 million displaced people. The new project is three times the size, but Beijing has not given any estimate of how many people will be displaced.
China Sermonizing
China appears to be cognizant of India’s concerns. It has begun pontificating about the benefits of the Sino-Indian relationship to countries in Asia and the world as well.
Instead of conveying a firm commitment to New Delhi that it takes responsibility for any ecological and geographic damage to the downstream beneficiaries of the river’s waters, Beijing has adopted a pontificating mood, something unknown in the history of the post-freedom Sino-Indian relationship.
“China never pursues the maximization of unilateral interests, let alone benefits for itself at the expense of its neighbors. China does not and will never seek “water hegemony,” Wang Yi wrote in an article published by the Indian Express newspaper last week.
He further said, “China adheres to a responsible attitude towards cross-border river development and pursues a policy of balancing utilization and protection.”
Without being assertive, China tried to address fears that the mega dam might cause water shortages and damage the environment. Wang Lei, the charge d’affaires at the Chinese Embassy in India, said, “Beijing sticks to the policy of forging friendships and partnerships with its neighbors.”
Playing down India’s apprehensions, Mao Ning, the spokeswoman of the Chinese foreign ministry, said China has carried out in-depth studies for decades and took safeguard measures.
Conclusion
There could be many unknown reasons for China to demonstrate a slight change in its decades-long unfriendly attitude towards India.
Beijing has been instrumental in opposing India’s Security Council membership. China arms Pakistan so that it could become a source of distraction for India. China has been protecting Pakistan’s terror machinery.
India’s External Affairs Ministry should tread cautiously when handling the situation arising from the proposed dam in the Tibetan region.
- Prof. KN Pandita (Padma Shri) is the former director of the Center of Central Asian Studies at Kashmir University.
- This article contains the author’s personal views and does not represent EurAsian Times’ policies/views/opinions in any way.
- The author can be reached at knp627 (at) gmail.com
