Now Reading: India asks China to share details of upstream projects at border talks
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India asks China to share details of upstream projects at border talks
India asks China to share details of upstream projects at border talks
At the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs in Delhi on Thursday, India pressed Beijing to share technical details on upstream projects on trans-border…
The Story in Brief
At the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs in Delhi on Thursday, India pressed Beijing to share technical details on upstream projects on trans-border rivers, Hindustan Times reports. The Indian side reiterated the need for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on such rivers, flagging concerns about a $137-billion mega dam China is building on the Yarlung Tsangpo, which becomes the Brahmaputra in India. Both sides reviewed the LAC situation and discussed boundary delimitation and border management.
The meeting follows a gradual thaw since the October 2024 understanding that ended the four-year military standoff in Ladakh. India and China have resumed the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and direct flights, and India has eased visa curbs on Chinese nationals. However, Beijing has not addressed New Delhi's concerns over a record $112-billion trade deficit and curbs on critical exports.
The Indian Opinion
The demand for technical data on the Brahmaputra dam is reasonable, but the narrative that China's project is an imminent ecological catastrophe ignores that its impact is still unmeasured. Meanwhile, talk of normalisation after the LAC disengagement papers over a $112-billion trade deficit and Chinese export curbs that still sting. The real test will be whether the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers actually meets soon and produces verifiable data.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
