Overview

• China has started building a five-station, 60 GW hydropower complex on the Yarlung Tsangpo River at a cost of about ¥1.2 trillion (US$167 billion), targeting 300 TWh of annual electricity output.
• India’s External Affairs Ministry has lodged diplomatic protests, pledged to safeguard downstream interests and will fast-track the 11.2 GW Upper Siang reservoir as a strategic buffer against sudden flow variations.
• The Indian government approved a ₹350 crore Special Development and Livelihood programme in Arunachal Pradesh to win local trust after residents halted pre-feasibility surveys for the counter-dam project.
• Bangladesh has formally requested detailed hydrological and environmental impact data from Beijing to evaluate potential risks to water supply and ecosystems.
• China’s Foreign Ministry maintains the run-of-the-river design poses no negative downstream impact and promises continued sharing of hydrological information with lower-reach countries.