China’s mega power project sparks mega controversy
Beijing plans to control more than just its water supply by building the world’s biggest dam
China’s already vast infrastructure programme has entered a new phase as building work starts on the Motuo hydropower project. The dam will consist of five cascade hydropower stations arranged from upstream to downstream.
Once completed, it will be the world’s largest source of hydroelectric power. It will be four times larger than Beijing’s previous signature hydropower project, the Three Gorges Dam, which spans the Yangtze River in central China.
Premier Li Qiang has described the mega dam as the “project of the century.” In several ways, his description is apt. Its vast scale is a reflection of China’s geopolitical status and ambitions. Yet, possibly the most controversial aspect of the dam is its location.
The site is on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River on the rim of the Tibetan plateau. This is connected to the Brahmaputra River which flows into the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh as well as Bangladesh. It is an important source of water for both nations.
New Delhi and Dhaka have voiced concerns over the dam, particularly since it can potentially affect their water supplies. The tension with India is compounded by the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has been a focal point of Sino-Indian tensions.
Water supply
China claims the region, which it refers to as Zangnan, as part of what it calls South Tibet. At the same time, the dam presents Beijing with a potentially formidable geopolitical tool in dealing with the Indian government.
The location means that it is possible for China to restrict India’s water supply. This has been demonstrated by the effects that earlier dam projects in the region have had on the nations of the Mekong River delta in 2019.
As a result, this gives Beijing a significant degree of leverage over its neighbours. One country restricting water supply to put pressure on another is by no means unprecedented.
In fact, following a terror attack by Pakistan-based The Resistance Front in Kashmir this year, which killed 26 people, India suspended the Indus waters treaty. This restricted water supplies to Pakistani farmers in the region.
So the potential for China’s dam to disrupt water flows will further compound the already tense geopolitics of southern Asia.
The Motuo mega dam is an advertisement of China’s prowess when it comes to large-scale infrastructure projects. Beijing’s expertise in this field is a big part of modern Chinese diplomacy through its massive Belt and Road Initiative.
This involves joint ventures with developing nations to build large-scale projects, such as ports, highways and rail systems. It has caused much consternation in Washington and Brussels, which view the BRI as a wider effort to build Chinese influence at their expense.
The completion of the dam will bring Beijing significant symbolic capital, demonstrating power and prosperity. It will be an integral feature of an image China is very keen to promote. But it can also be seen as a manifestation of the nation’s aspiration and its longstanding fears.
The Motuo hydropower project also represents the latest chapter of China’s long battle for control of its rivers, a key story in the development of the country’s civilisation.
Chinese dynasties
The Yangtze has been at the heart of the prosperity of several Chinese dynasties and is is still a major economic driver, despite devastating events. The massive flood of 1441 threatened the stability of the Ming dynasty, while an estimated two million people died in 1931 flooding.
Such struggles have been embodied in Chinese mythology in the Gun-Yu myth. This tells the story of the way floods displaced the population of ancient China, probably based on an actual event at Jishi Gorge on the Yellow River in what is now Qinghai province in BC1920.
This has led to the common motif of rivers needing human control to abate natural disaster, a theme present in classical Chinese culture and poetry.
The pursuit of controlling rivers, or zhishui, has also been one of the primary influences on the formation of the Chinese state. Efforts to control the Yangtze have shaped the centralised system of governance that has characterised China throughout its history.
In this sense, the Motuo hydropower project represents the latest chapter in the country’s quest to harness the power of its rivers.
Such a quest remains imperative for Beijing and its importance has been further underlined by the challenges of climate change, and the effect on natural resources. The Ganges River has already been identified as one of the world’s water scarcity hotspots.
As well as sustaining China’s population, the hydropower provided by the dam is another part of a wider push towards self-sufficiency. It is estimated that it could generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year – the same amount produced by the whole of the UK.
While this will meet the needs of the local population, it also further entrenches the country’s ability to produce cheap electricity – something that has enabled China to become and remain a manufacturing superpower.
Greater control
Construction has only just begun, but the Motuo project has already become a microcosm of Beijing’s wider push towards development. It’s also a gamechanger in Asia’s geopolitics, giving China the potential to exert greater control in shaping the region’s water supplies.
This in turn will give it greater power to shape the geopolitics of the region.
At the same time, it is also the latest chapter of China’s long-standing quest to harness its waterways, which now has regional implications beyond anything the nation’s previous dynasties could imagine.
Tom Harper is a Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London.
This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.