'Within Our Sovereignty': China Defends Brahmaputra Hydropower Project, Claims No Downstream Damage

Amid growing concerns in India and Bangladesh over China's newly announced hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo River (known as the Brahmaputra in India), Beijing has issued a detailed statement defending the project, calling it a matter of national sovereignty and clean energy development.

"To build the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fully within China's sovereignty," the official statement said. "The project aims to speed up clean energy development, improve local people's life, and proactively respond to climate change."

To build the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fully within China's sovereignty. The project aims to speed up clean energy development, improve local people's life, and proactively respond to climate change.

China acts with a high sense of… pic.twitter.com/9myFqIsUHw

— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) July 23, 2025

The move has sparked apprehensions in downstream nations about potential ecological disruption and water flow control. However, China claims that it is acting "with a high sense of responsibility" in handling cross-border rivers and that the project meets the "highest national industrial standards."

"The planning, design and construction... strictly follows the highest national industrial standards. The project puts a lot of emphasis on all-round ecological conservation, stays away from multiple environmentally sensitive areas, and vows to preserve the original ecosystem to the largest extent possible," the statement added.

China further claims that the dam will not adversely impact downstream regions. Instead, it argues, the hydropower facility will aid in disaster mitigation along the river.

China also noted ongoing cooperation with downstream countries, stating it shares hydrological data and engages in flood prevention and disaster reduction coordination. "We have had necessary communication with them on the project, and will continue enhancing cooperation for the benefit of all people along the river basin," the statement concluded. 

However, Chief Minister Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh has called the dam a "ticking water bomb" and an existential threat.

"Setting aside the military threat from China, it seems to me that this is a far bigger issue than anything else. It is going to cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of 'water bomb'", Mr Khandu told PTI earlier this month.

Mr Khandu pointed out that China is not a signatory to international water-sharing agreements, and is under no obligation to release a certain amount of water downstream. "If they were a signatory, this project could have been a blessing for us," he said, saying that regular downstream release could help prevent summer floods in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh.

On the other hand, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma downplayed any immediate concerns, and said that the Brahmaputra is not solely dependent on the Yarlung Zangbo for its flow.

"I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source of water," Mr Sarma said.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened India-China tensions, with strategic infrastructure projects in sensitive border regions attracting close scrutiny.