Chinese newspaper on India-China water disputes: India lies and exaggerates, China is rational and sane. Yay China!

[mota bhai 2,675]

Global Times is widely believed to speak for the Communist Party in China.

Global Times | 2013-10-7 19:58:01
By Li Zhifei

As close neighbors, China and India share up to 16 major rivers. In recent years, the dispute over water resources has become a contentious issue between the two countries.

...

[india] attempts to gain control of disputed territories by acquiring more international support and actual control on the ground through the development of the water resources in related areas.

Water resource disputes between India and China are mainly concentrated on rivers beginning from western and southern Tibet, with the Yarlung Zangbo River, known as the Brahmaputra in India, being the current focus.

...

India plans to build reservoirs and canal systems on the Brahmaputra River with an intention to transfer "surplus" water to regions with water shortages.

Furthermore, India has already set up dozens of hydropower stations in the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, attempting to reinforce its actual control and occupation of the disputed area.

China has already begun to develop Tibet's water resources on the Yarlung Zangbo River, and the first unit at the Zangmu Hydropower Station is scheduled to start operation in 2014.

The Indians think of the Brahmaputra River as a lifeline, especially since it is a main tributary of the sacred Ganges River.

If China stores water at the upper stream, there will be less water flowing through India, causing negative effects on the water use for its industrial and agricultural sectors which are mainly located in the basin of the Ganges River.

Therefore, China's control of the allocation of water means, from the Indian perspective, China will exert substantial economic influence upon the rising South Asian power.

India imagines that if China draws off water in the reservoirs on the Yarlung Zangbo River, it will become swampland.

The country also contends that China will probably carry out interceptions during dry seasons and discharges during rainy days as means to impose pressure on the Indian government, and that once a conflict takes place, Beijing is likely to raise water levels to cut off communications or drown enemy troops.

Therefore, India assumes that China's building dams on the Yarlung Zangbo River poses a serious threat to its national security.

The two rising powers demonstrate two different perspectives of development over the water resource disputes.

China stresses peaceful rise, and tries to build up a win-win situation.

In contrast, New Delhi has been critical of China in the upper stream by protesting against this imaginary enemy and trying to gain sympathy and support from the international community.

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Beijing adopts a rational and restricted attitude toward India's domestic attacks on China's utilization of water resources.

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India expects to put more pressure on China by exaggerating the facts and drawing attention from the international community, with the intention of preventing China from developing Tibetan water resources.

China should firmly resist such remarks and actions, and actively seek to address disputes through following the principles of peaceful negotiation and cooperation.

The author is an assistant research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Yep, that's how state-sponsored journalism works.

[mota bhai 2,675]

It's too bad there are no Indian newspapers that are run by the government. Those would have been fun to read. There are plenty of Indian newspapers that are run by political parties, though.. but those aren't in English. And I don't think they're online.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Yes, having a free press is a terrible thing

[mota bhai 2,675]

State run media is fun to read.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Don't worry, we have plenty of silly press here, run by a man who devises talk points to steer people into discussing what he wants and concluding what he wants, to make him more money.

Edited October 9, 2013 by Harpa Timsah

[mota bhai 2,675]

The ultimate Troll.

I bow to His Greatness.