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By Li Jing The Hindu newspaper reported Monday that the Indian government won't accept any alleged plans by China to divert water from the Yarlung Zangbo River, upstream from the Brahmaputra River in India. As for rumors that China is building a 540 megawatt "run of the river" power-generation project on the Yarlung Zangbo River, without the further con-firmation of relevant Chinese departments, Indian Minister of State for the Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh warned that any project "would be difficult for India to accept." It would hurt India if China diverted waters from the river to feed its southwest region, he told journalists. Ma Jiali, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that "Indian media exaggerate the fear of the Indian government on the trans-boundary waters issue to a large extent. Presently, the Chinese government has no water-diversion plan for the Yarlung Zangbo River." "Although some water dams are operating on the tributary of the river, they do not impact the downstream Brahmaputra River in India," he said, stressing that the construction of Chinese hydro-electric projects adheres to the principles of fully considering the legal rights of countries downstream. Ramesh also mentioned that the real concern for India was the absence of any water-sharing agreement to regulate any future use of trans-boundary waters. "India needs to continue discussing the water issue with China," he said, adding that the process was "going to be slow-going." The minister did not clarify whether India will actually allow Chinese construction companies to operate in the southern Tibet Autonomous Region of China, known by India as Arunachal Pradesh. But Indian officials are expected to accelerate hydro-electric projects in that area, The Hindu reported. "China's and India's final resolution on territorial sovereignty is the prerequisite for mutual cooperation on trans-boundary waters," Ma said. By press time, China's Ministry of Water Resources, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were not available for comment on the reports. Also Monday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "There is no confusion in our policies toward China, and we continue to strive for constructive engagement with Beijing." Singh was responding to Ramesh's criticism of the home ministry for blocking sales of Chinese-made telecom equipment to companies in India. Agencies contributed to this story |
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