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INFOCUS|CHINA|PEOPLE

China’s NGO Sector

A Reality or an Illusion?

Post the reform era that began in 1978, the NGO sector in China has mushroomed greatly. $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH RI¿FLDO VWDWLVWLFV of the Ministry of Civil Society, the number of NGOs rose from the 6000 mark before 1978, to 186,000 in 2006. Private NGOs that were absent in China prior to the reform era have now come into existence. But does the increase of private NGOs really imply the existence of a ‘free civil society’ in China? Does the law of the land stem the independent JURZWK RI QRQ RI¿FLDO 1*2V DQG PRQLWRU WKH RI¿FLDO 1*2V" :KDW exactly is the role and impact of NGOs within the Chinese society? |12| India-China Chronicle January 2014

Namrata Hasija

I

Q &KLQD 1*2V DUH RIÂżFLDOO\ FDOOHG ‘popular organisations’. They are clubbed into two broad categories L H RIÂżFLDOO\ RUJDQLVHG she huituanti) DQG SRSXODU 1*2V min ban feiqiyedanwei 7KH ÂżUVW FDWHJRU\ LV initiated and operated by the Chinese government. The staff members are mostly on a government payroll. On the other hand, popular NGOs are initiated by private individuals and they receive no subsidies from the government.The post liberalisation phase has given an impetus to the nonRIÂżFLDO 1*2ÂśV WR PXVKURRP LQ &KLQD – a possibility which did not exist at all before the reforms. Now, they are allowed to use non-state controlled resources and pursue independent interest and agendas. In 2006, there were around 159,000 private NGOs in the country. However, many factors have hindered the ability of the non-

RIÂżFLDO1*2ÂśV WR ZRUN VROHO\ IRU WKH EHQHÂżW RI WKH SXEOLF According to its internal policies, the Civil Affairs Department does not approve applications from any ÂľVSHFLÂżF VRFLDO JURXSÂś OLNH PLJUDQW workers, laid off workers, exservicemen, religious groups and so

A SURVEY DONE UNDER THE ASIAN BAROMETER PROJECT SHOWED THAT PUBLIC TRUST IN NGOs HAS DECLINED IN CHINA FROM 2002 TO 2008. IN 2002, 18.3 PER CENT PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE TRUST IN THE NGOs FOR CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT OF THE SOCIETY WHEREAS IN 2008 THE MISTRUST LEVELROSE TO 45.7 PER CENT

on. This clause is in place in order to safeguard the Chinese government from the formation of any political, social or religious organisation in disguise of a NGO that could lead to any movement challenging the party or the state. There are many instances wherein associations formed by migrant labourers were ‘persuaded’ to dismantle themselves after the members threatened further action if their demands for increase in salaries and decrease in working hours were not given attention.

Other than this the government does not want any NGO to grow in size and infrastructure so that it has networks all over the country. This would help in preventing a movement in one part of the country from having an impact on the rest of the region, or on the neighbouring regions. Thus there is a clause which restricts NGOs from opening regional branches i.e. national NGOs are restricted to Beijing, while provincial and county

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level ones remain within the provincial capital or county seat. This has curtailed their growth potential. The third controversial clause restricts new NGOs from opening if there is already a NGO doing similar work in the same administrative area. Thus, LI WKHUH LV DQ\ RIÂżFLDO 1*2 ZRUNLQJ for the welfare of disabled persons in a particular area, a popular NGO cannot work for the same cause in the same area.

Effect of the Clauses: These clauses not only restrict the growth of NGOs, but also limit their resources. Their existence implies that even popular NGOs have to look up to the government for support.

This in turn means collaborating with government agencies for projects and relying on their administrative networks to implement projects. This heavy dependency on the government hindersthe progress of work and also restricts the direction of NGO work.

To add to this, there is constant monitoring and restriction on campaigning for certain causes – the prevention of which is beyond their limits. For example, popular organisations working

for women issues can only touch on certain issues through their websites, and social media but cannot focus on gritty issues such as forced abortions, the One Child policy or any issue that ZLOO VKRZ WKH JRYHUQPHQW RIÂżFLDOV LQ D EDG OLJKW 7KLV DOVR UHĂ€HFWV WKH DWWLWXGH of the NGOs towards people who feel WKDW RIÂżFLDOV DQG JRYHUQPHQW SROLFLHV are more important than the citizens that they are actually working for.

2IÂżFLDO 1*2V DOVR IDFH D ORW RI problems. The Party wants government agencies to transfer some of their functions to NGOs but the agencies refuse to do so, as they fear a reduction in their power and resources.

Thus, NGOs do not have a huge impact on the region in which they are established, as no real power or resources are transferred to them by the local governments. These NGOs are usually staffed by retired or serving governPHQW RI¿FLDOV ZKRVH LQFRPH VHFXULW\ LV not related to the NGO’s status. Thus, they hardly show any entrepreneurLDO ÀDLU +RZHYHU WKH PRVW LPSRUWDQW ÀLSVLGH RI WKHVH RI¿FLDO 1*2V LV that they are created by government agencies, as fronts for agency slush funds, to which unaccounted income

‘Interim Procedures on the registration of social organisations’ was the first legal document on NGOs that was passed in China. In 1989, a new regulation was passed to fit in with China’s new development model called the “Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Social Organizations�. In 1998, it was revised and “Interim Procedures on the Registration and Administration of Private Non-enterprise Organizations� was promulgated. These two sets of regulations govern the establishment and management of China’s NGOs.

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can be transferred.

These controversial clauses have also led to the growth of an overt mistrust of Chinese citizens in this sector.

The trust of citizens and their participation is vital not only for its growth but also attributes to its true survival.

The lapses in setting up a proper citizen friendly atmosphere even by popular NGOs due to all the controversial laws and the growth of internet as a source IRU ÂżJKWLQJ IRU D FDXVH LV D PDMRU UHDson why NGOs do not enjoy a good rapport with the Chinese citizens. Besides, there is also another side to this story as had been highlighted in a pubOLF VSHHFK E\ 0HQJ :HLQD D &KLQHVH NGO activist for more than 20 years.

She said that not only is the government responsible for the slow development of the NGO sector in China, but so are the citizens. She added that if she ever sharply criticises the government for its policies, the citizens and even members of her own NGO refuse to support her. This is out of fear of the backlash that they can suffer from the RI¿FLDOV 7KHLU DWWLWXGH FDQ EH XQGHUstood in context of the fact that China’s one-party system exerts a totalitarian control over all aspects of polity and society. Understandably, then, the societal culture in which the average Chinese citizen exists has left little space IRU 1*2V WR ÀRXULVK Many surveys have been done which show that people come together for a cause but once their own problems are solved they do not take any interest in the organisation. For example, a group of parents came together to demand

special education for autistic children.

However once the problem was solved many including its founding members left the organisation. They did not ¿JKW IRU QHZ SDUHQWV ZKR KDG MRLQHG the association and were still facing the same problem. There is, then, a collaborative and corresponding mix of government policy, the inability of citizens to carry movements forward to their natural fruition and a real social fear of government backlash that has restricted the growth of the NGO sector in China.However, despite WKHVH ÀLS VLGHV WKHUH DUH FHUWDLQ DUHDV where they are making a mark.

Sectors Touched by NGO’s In recent years, Chinese NGO’s have impacted certain sectors like natural resource management, HIV/ AIDS, protection of environmental rights, public advocacy and education, etc. Moreover, since 2007, they have endeavoured to make an impact in a more challenging and promising area—China’s clean energy policy. The workings of these NGO’s are closely entwined with the government and thus, the major works of these NGOs have been on ‘softer issues’ related to environment. For example, Friends of Nature works with environmental education, mainly in elementary schools. In addition, the NGO sponsors wildlife conservation campaigns, with a special focus on the Tibetan antelope.

The group is creating awareness among children on how and why to save the environment so that at least the coming generation understands

CERTAIN NGO’S HAVE TAKEN UP WOMEN ISSUES. ALTHOUGH THEY CANNOT TOUCH ON ISSUES LIKE FORCED ABORTIONS, OR ONE CHILD POLICY, THEY ARE EDUCATING WOMEN ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, HIV/AIDS AND COUNSELLING RURAL WOMEN TO CONTROL THE GROWING SUICIDES AMONG THEM. the ill effects of a degrading environment on society.

Pesticide Eco-Alternative Centre 3($& SURYLGHV WUDLQLQJ DQG LQIRUmation on pesticide issues and ecological alternatives to pesticides, consumer advocacy, gender equity, and indigenous pest reduction practices.

NGO’s like this educate farmers who in their haste of producing more do not pay heed to the ill effects of pesticides. :LWK WKHLU HGXFDWLRQ WKLV 1*2 KDV provided an alternative to the government in Kunming by reducing chemical farming and engaging the farmers in organic farming.

In 2013, the Chinese government declared that by the end of the year it will introduce revised administrative regulations for NGO’s. Administrative regulations are the biggest obstacle for the launch of an NGO. The new law would allow four categories i.e.

industrial association, charities, community services and organisations associated with promotion of science and technology a direct registration with the Civil Affairs without the lengthy procedure of pre-examination and approval by other regulators.

However, even if the new law comes into force by the end of this year, following the party line will hamper the growth of popular NGOs in China.

Though the new law might help in setting up more NGOs yet the problem lies in the restrictions that they face in their functioning due to political and institutional structures in the country.

Although NGOs in China are heavily dependent on Party funds and have to toe the Party line they have still impacted many sectors of Chinese society to a great extent under this control.

Nevertheless, despite the good work being done within the limits of their functions, talking about a free civil society is not correct at this point in China. Civil society does exist in China but, unfortunately, a ‘free’ civil society is non- existential. ‰

Namrata Hasija is Research Associate at Center for China Analysis and Strategy, New Delhi. She has recently published a book titled ‘Medieval Chinese Perception of India: Two Medieval Chinese Accounts of Foreign People and Places, and their Representation of India’. She can be contacted at: hasija.namrata@gmail.com

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DAM ISSUE

China’s Concern and India’s Fear China’s proposed plan to harness 40000 MW of electricity from the waters of Brahmaputra at the Great Bend region will surely help its arid northern region to deal with water crisis, but it will also adversely affect the water demands of millions of people in the lower riparian states of India and Bangladesh. The biodiversity in the region is at stake too. Though China has begun to treat water as a strategic commodity and is building huge infrastructure, but in India, the current debate over water security isn’t as politically nuanced as it ought to be. |16| India-China Chronicle January 2014

Brahmaputra River

Neeraj Kapoor

W

ater, a fundamental human need, is a critical national asset too. It is a key to socio-economic development and better quality of life for a country’s citizens. Water is becoming a key security issue and a reason for discord in the north-eastern region at IndiaChina border on Brahmaputra River.

The three riparian or downstream states sharing the Brahmaputra River, namely China, India, and Bangladesh DUH WKH ZRUOGÂśV ÂżUVW VHFRQG DQG seventh most populous countries.

China is an upper riparian country, (where the river is known as YarlungTsangpo) while India and Bangladesh are the lower ones. The river is called Brahmaputra in India and Jamuna in

Bangladesh. There is a basic threat to survival if there is water diversion from the great bend of Brahmaputra to northern China. It can also have a large scale deleterious impact upon the biodiversity of Brahmaputra valley. Both India and Bangladesh are vulnerable to hydrological ÀXFWXDWLRQV ZDWHU VWRUDJH DQG ZDWHU diversion activities on the upper reaches of the river. Bangladesh, being situated at the tail end, is the most vulnerable in the lean season.

India has already expressed concern, fearing similar effects in the states of Assam and Arunachal in the northeastern region.

A proposed reservoir at the great bend in the deep canyon will put more than 60 per cent of the biological resources in danger. In terms of population, it will affect indigenous

people who will be forced to leave their ancestral land. For the Tibetans, it would mean the loss of the last sacred place and the home of their Protecting Deity. Furthermore, Tibetans will not EHQH¿W LQ DQ\ ZD\ IURP WKH SRZHU produced by the hydroelectric plant, as it will either be sold to China’s southern neighbors or be used to send the water upstream to North-Western China. The possible use of nuclear devices to create tunnels to divert the water raises further serious concerns about the environmental impact of such a project for the region and those living downstream.

China’s Political Economy of Dam Construction China’s hunger for construction of grand projects is age old and emerges from the Emperor’s dream to bring

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heaven’s vision on earth like Grand Canal or Great Wall. This legacy has always been carried forward by successive emperors and leaders.

China’s present environmental and water crisis had its origin in the policies that had been initiated by Chairman Mao when he had insisted, “Men must conquer nature”. The ‘Great Leap Forward’ was a peep into that and its repercussions in China were for all to see. The Great South-to-North Water Diversion Project was also visualized

by Mao in 1952. “The South has a lot of water, the North little; It is okay to lend a little water,” he had said. Maoinitiated programs to develop massive hydro-engineering projects have resulted in China completing between 22000 and 24000 large dams (A ZLGHO\ DFFHSWHG GH¿QLWLRQ RI D ODUJH dam, as drafted by the International Commission on Large Dams, is a structure with “a height of 15 meters from the foundation or, if the height is between 5 to 15 meters, it should have a reservoir capacity of more than 3 million cubic meter.”)

China, the world’s most ‘dammed’ country today, and by far one leading producer of hydroelectricity of the world has hydropower capacity reportedly to the tune of 213,000 MW, by a 2010 estimate. China plans to increase the proportion of non-fossil fuel use in the country’s energy sector to 15 percent by 2020; and half of that

The National Strategy of Dam

T

he Yarlung Tsangpo or Brahmaputra as it is known in India has an immense bearing on the life of hundreds of millions in the sub-continent. It is the largest river on the Tibetan plateau and is also considered to be the highest river on earth with an average altitude of 4,000 meters. One of its interesting characteristics is the sharp U- turn that it takes at the proximity of Mt. Namcha Barwa (7,782 meters) near the Indian border. At this bend China is building a dam and wants to divert water to its drier northern region. China being the upper riparian state is at an advantageous position and can thus threaten the lower riparian states of India and Bangladesh.

Its ‘Tsangpo’ project is perhaps the most mind-blowing part of the national strategy of China to divert water from rivers in the South and West to its drought-stricken northern areas.

is expected to come from hydropower.

This means that China aims to have 430,000 MW of hydropower which is double of its existing capacity.

China’s Water Crisis China has to meet set targets to overcome severe water shortages in North China. Northern China, home to nearly half of the population, has OHVV WKDQ RQH ¿IWK RI QDWLRQDO WKH ZDWHU resources and is thus facing a severe water crisis. Under the North China Plain- a region that stretches from North of Shanghai to North of Beijing producing 40 per cent of China’s grain- the water table is dropping by an average of 1.5 meters per year.

The concern of water crisis can be well understood from former Premier Wen Jiabao who comments that the ‘survival of the Chinese nation’ is

under threat from water crisis.

This scenario has led the Chinese experts to hunt for water outside China and they shot the arrow at Tibet which is considered as the most incredible water tank of the world.

The Tibetan plateau is the ‘Principal Asian watershed’. Tibet water travels to eleven countries and is said to bring fresh water to over 85 per cent of the Asian population. Four of the World’s ten rivers, namely, the Brahmaputra, Indus, and the Yangtze, including Mekong have their head water in the Tibetan plateau.

China’s Tsangpo Project or Brahamaputra project has two components: one is the construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric plant to generate twice the electricity produced by Three Gorges Dam (18200 MW) and the other is the diversion of the waters of the Tsangpo. The diverted water is intended to be pumped northward across hundreds of kilometers of mountainous regions to China’s northwestern provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu. (In 2011, China has denied any diversion of Brahmaputra water).

Fears of Tibet, India and Bangladesh due to Diversion of Water India and Bangladesh would be at the mercy of China for adequate release of water during the dry season, DQG IRU SURWHFWLRQ IURP ÀRRGV GXULQJ the rainy season. Precipitation in North India (particularly Assam) and Bangladesh is very high (80%) during the four monsoon months

|18| India-China Chronicle January 2014

(between June to September), and low (20%) during the remaining eight months. To serve her own interests, China could withhold water for power generation and irrigation during the dry season and release water during WKH ÀRRG VHDVRQ ZLWK WKH FDWDVWURSKLF consequences for eastern South Asia.

More than anything else, the diversion project along the Brahmaputra River is likely to lead to a reduction in the nutrient-rich sediments in the basin. ([SHUWV EHOLHYH WKDW WKH ÀRRGLQJ LQ the basin could become worse due to relentless silting. Both India and Bangladesh are likely to be seriously affected by the diversion project as their agriculture and inland water transportation are heavily dependent on the Brahmaputra River.

The construction activities as part of the Brahmaputra water diversion project will also pollute the water and thereby lead to many environmental, social and geological risks in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, India and Bangladesh. This would threaten livelihoods, deplete marine species and destroy farmlands, and is thus likely to lead to natural disasters which will further degrade the fragile ecology of the region. All this might DOVR FDXVH FRQĂ€LFW LQ WKH UHJLRQ Âą EH LW high, medium or low intensity.

China’s Response to Neutralize the Fear of Downstream States China has given assurances that it ZRXOG GR QRWKLQJ WR DIIHFW WKH ÀRZ RI the water from the rivers in Tibet to South Asia. There was a plan during the Cultural Revolution to divert

Western Diversion is proposed at the U-bend of Brahmaputra River

the Brahmaputra water towards the North. But later China gave up this plan following the disasters at the Three Gorges dam on the Yangzi River. In fact, the Three Georges dam has created severe geological, human and ecological problems. The growing siltation problem in the reservoir basin of the dam badly exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese system of damming the river.

Jiao Yong, Vice Minister at China’s Ministry of Water Resources, said that although there is a demand among Chinese to make greater use of the Yarlung Tsangpo, “considering the WHFKQLFDO GLIÂżFXOWLHV WKH DFWXDO QHHG

of diversion and the possible impact on the environment and state-to-state relations, the Chinese government has QR SODQ WR FRQGXFW DQ\ GLYHUVLÂżFDWLRQ project in this riverâ€?. Wang Shucheng, China’s Minister for Water Resources stated that, “the proposal to divert the Brahmaputra waters is unnecessary, XQIHDVLEOH DQG XQVFLHQWLÂżF ´$QRWKHU VLJQLÂżFDQW IDFWRU LV WKDW WKH FRVW involved in diverting Brahmaputra’s water would be higher than the alternative of desalination of seawater.

As such, many people believe that China would not commit another blunder by diverting the Brahmaputra water since it is now guided by

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Yarlung Tsangpo river in China

considerations like rationality and cost-effectiveness rather than ideology.

However, China’s plan to build hydroelectric power projects that could generate 40,000 MW of power will still be a cause of concern for India.

The Great Bend is at a geologically fragile knick-zone with very rapid bedrock exhumation rates. In case of an earthquake, there could be ominous consequences for millions living in the downstream areas. On February 3, 2013, an NGO in Guwahati alleged that China is building 26 run-of-theULYHU K\GURÂąSRZHU GDP SURMHFWV (which will not store water) on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra in Tibet. They further said that once China completes these projects, India will receive 64 per cent less water during the monsoon and 85 per cent OHVV LQ WKH QRQÂąPRQVRRQ VHDVRQ ,I these claims turn out to be true, it could seriously harm India’s interests. |20| India-China Chronicle ƒ January 2014

Currently, China is believed to be EXLOGLQJ VL[ GDPV ¹ /HQJGD =KRQJGD /DQJ]KHQ -LH[X -LDFKD DQG =DQJmu. In November 2010, China began ZRUN RQ LWV ¿UVW PDMRU K\GURSRZHU project on the river, a 510-MW proMHFW DW =DQJPX ZKLFK ZLOO FRPH LQWR RSHUDWLRQ LQ 0U =KDQJ VDLG WKH =DQJPX SURMHFW ZDV DQ H[FHSWLRQ DQG China had not yet approved a comprehensive plan to take the other projects forward. However, the satellite pictures show that China is merely building dams and not attempting to divert the waters. Of course, both damming and diversion have a bearing on the ÀRZ RI ULYHU ZDWHUV DOWKRXJK GLYHUsion is more serious in nature than damming. Damming only reduces the ÀRZ RI WKH ULYHU ZDWHU ZKHUHDV GLYHUsion would mean altering the normal ÀRZ RI WKH ULYHU LQ DQRWKHU GLUHFWLRQ The latter course adversely affects the environment and the lifeline of the recipient country/countries which is the

main concern of lower riparian states.

Further confusion regarding the diversion of water gets cleared when we look at the data available about the Ă€RZ RI WKH WULEXWDULHV RI %UDKPDSXWUD in the riparian states, according to which, “China contributes only 7 per FHQW WR WKH Ă€RZ RI WKUHH WULEXWDULHV RI Brahmaputra—Subansiri, Siang and Lohit—which originate from China.

What can the Chinese do or how much can they divert?�

India’s Fear Actually India’s fear is not concerned with the diversion of water but, the slow pace of work on Brahmaputra because any delay in executing hydropower projects in the region, particularly on rivers originating in China, will affect India’s strategy of establishing prior-use claim.

Under international law, a country’s right over natural resources it shares with other nations becomes stronger

if it is already putting them to use.

Further to avoid any confusion, during KLV UHFHQW RIÂżFLDO YLVLW WR &KLQD IURP October 22 - 24 2013, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on transboundary rivers.

According to the new MoU, Beijing has agreed to provide New Delhi with richer hydrological data on river %UDKPDSXWUD GXULQJ WKH ÀRRG VHDVRQ (May 15 to October 15). As part of the MoU, India can also ask for data relating to dams being built by China on river Brahmaputra. While the data PD\ EH KHOSIXO IRU EHWWHU ÀRRG DOHUWV LQ Assam, it does not address India’s core concern about possible Chinese plans to divert the Brahmaputra’s waters WR LWV DULG 1RUWK¹ZHVWHUQ SURYLQFHV a matter that has concerned India in recent years.

China’s Dam Diplomacy Perhaps China well understands what the author of the book ‘Communist China and Tibet’, George Ginsburg wrote, “it could dominate the Himalayan piedmont by virtue of holding Tibet, and by doing so, it could even threaten the Indian subcontinent, and thereby further threaten the entire South-east Asia and so to say all of Asia�. This is one of the reasons why China has not signed any bilateral treaty in regard to the utilization of water resources with any of its neighbors, and has not signed the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Waterways.

Former diplomat and senior fellow at the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses states that the original idea of shuo-tian UHYHUVH Ă€RZ DQG xibu da kaifa (great Western extraction), supported by 118 PLA generals, was aimed at building a dam to generate 40,000 MW of hydro power and to divert 200 BCM water annually to the north. In one of the write-ups, published in the Indian Express, he articulates that “The diversion project was part of China’s $60-billion South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP), aimed at sending 40 BCM of water annually

5HĂ HFWLQJ RQ WKH 3RVLWLYHV

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fter running across 1790 Km the Brahmaputra River leaves the Tibetan plateau near Namcha Barwa, and tumbles down into the plains of India forming a massive U bend in Arunachal Pradesh, known as Dihang. The massive U bend of the river Brahmaputra is very crucial in the sense that it is here, that the river picks up huge amounts of water and momentum. This is where the three dams are being constructed just 550 kilometers away from the Indian border near the U bend area.

In constructing dams, the Chinese follow the principle of “Prior Appropriationâ€?. It means that when a nation has the source of the river within its territory, it has the absolute right to access the water resources for its domestic use without any external interference. The River Brahmaputra sets the perfect example for China. China is HQWLWOHG WR WDNH XS GDP SURMHFWV VR ORQJ DV WKH H[LVWLQJ Ă RZ RI ELOOLRQ FXELF meters (BCM) of water into India remains unimpeded. Most of the Brahmaputra’s catchment area, providing over 600 BCM average runoff, falls within Arunachal Pradesh. The volume increases by ten times during the monsoon. Allowing China WR GLYHUW D FRQVWDQW YROXPH RI ZDWHU GXULQJ WKDW SHULRG FRXOG KHOS PLWLJDWH Ă RRGV in India and Bangladesh. Non-consumptive exploitation of water by China for power JHQHUDWLRQ PD\ DOVR EH EHQHĂ€FLDO IRU ,QGLD DV WKH Ă RZ LV H[SHFWHG WR LQFUHDVH E\ 10-20 per cent during the dry season. China selling surplus electricity to India may not be a bad idea. Therefore, if a dam is constructed well in advance in order to safeguard the interest of country’s economy, it will not only prove to be a useful PHFKDQLVP LQ FRQWUROOLQJ Ă RRGV DQG GURXJKW EXW ZLOO DOVR VHUYH WKH QDYLJDWLRQDO purposes of the country.

AS PART OF THE MoU WITH CHINA, INDIA CAN ALSO ASK FOR DATA RELATING TO DAMS BEING BUILT BY CHINA ON RIVER BRAHMAPUTRA. WHILE THE DATA MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR BETTER FLOOD ALERTS IN ASSAM, IT WILL NOT ADDRESS INDIA’S CORE CONCERN OF POSSIBLE CHINESE PLANS TO DIVERT THE BRAHMAPUTRA’S WATERS TO ITS ARID NORTH– WESTERN PROVINCES. from the Yangtze and the Yellow River WR WKH DULG QRUWK ´ 7KH ÂżUVW SKDVH RI the SNWTP was completed in March 2013. The second phase aimed at feeding water to the North by 2014 and the third stage involves the Tsangpo’s diversion. “For China, the stakes are huge. It could turn millions of arid hectares into arable land,â€? he says.

China’s unilateralism is wellknown. It has never consulted riparian states before building any dam. Until ,QGLD ZDV XQDZDUH RI WKH =DGD dam on the Sutlej basin and even appeared clueless when the Chinese announced that they were building dams at Dagu, Jiacha, and Jiexu. Now, with this attitude, if the diversion at the Great Bend becomes a reality, the fear is that China will inevitably leverage Tibetan water as a tool for coercive diplomacy and may even link the water issue to a border settlement. Given the rising demand for food security and clean drinking water both China and India will be water stressed.

In an era of global diplomatic pressures, China is behaving differently. +DYLQJ OHDUQW IURP WKH GLI¿FXOWLHV faced by its attitude in South China Sea and the hurdles that it had faced during the construction of Three Gorges Dam, it can be hoped that China’s behavior will be that of a responsible power. Only time has the answer. ‰ Neeraj Kapoor is an independent research scholar.

His area of interest includes Strategic Affairs and Development Issues.

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