China knows how to provoke its neighbours when they least expect it. Just weeks after India and China were believed to have resolved, at the highest level, the four-and-a-half-year-old standoff in the Ladakh sector, news emerges of a fresh irritant. Xinhua reported that China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has created two new counties under the Hotan Prefecture. All seems fine until one learns that the area belongs to India. Such unauthorised actions undermine established protocols. Any illegal construction or activity in this region is an affront to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. What’s worse, this claim by China comes days after the two countries resumed talks, which had been suspended for several years, to resolve their border dispute. This undermines the hope generated by the October 23 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia, where cooperation seemed to take precedence over conflict. However, Beijing’s actions contradict the spirit of dialogue and diplomacy.
India has lodged a “solemn protest” against China’s actions, reiterating that any such moves to undermine India’s sovereignty over the Ladakh region will not affect India’s well-established geographical claims. Simply put, China is solely to blame for the instability it seeks to foment in Ladakh, a region that has remained an integral part of India. These provocations damage any prospects for lasting peace in the region. Adding to these tensions, China has unilaterally decided to build the world’s largest infrastructure project across the Brahmaputra River, known as Yarlung Tsangpo in China. Originating in the Himalayas, the river flows through China, enters India, and eventually meets the Indian Ocean. India and Bangladesh have as much stake in the river as China does. Millions of people in the Northeast, especially in Assam, depend on it for their daily sustenance and economic activities.
The proposed dam, estimated to cost $137 billion, will reportedly be three times larger than the Three Gorges Dam in China, which is currently the world’s largest. However, the dam will be situated in an earthquake-prone area, raising concerns not only for India and Bangladesh but also for China, which is investing such a colossal amount in a project at a time when dams are being decommissioned globally. Ideally, China should have consulted the riparian states to alleviate their concerns. Yet, true to form, it is intent on imposing its will, disregarding fears that this project may ultimately prove more harmful than beneficial to humanity and the environment.
