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'A ticking water bomb': Arunachal CM flags threat from Chinese dam in Tibet 'we share a border with'
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said that no Indian state, including his own, shares a direct border with China. Instead, he clarified, Indian states border Tibet, a region that China forcibly occupied in 1950. His remarks come just days after China signalled its readiness to discuss the long-standing border dispute and work on delimitation talks with India.
'Let me correct you here. We share a border with Tibet and not China,' he said.
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In an interview with PTI, Khandu explained that Arunachal Pradesh shares about 100 km of its border with Bhutan, around 1,200 km with Tibet, and 550 km with Myanmar. He emphasised that while India's border is technically with Tibet, China's control over the region cannot be ignored.
India and China have been locked in a tense border dispute for years, with Beijing claiming parts of Indian territory. To resolve the issue, both sides have established a Special Representatives (SRs) mechanism. Recently, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China is open to talks on defining and managing the border to maintain peace.
Khandu also praised the Dalai Lama, urging the Indian government to award him the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour.
Concerns over China's mega dam
Speaking about China's massive dam project on the Brahmaputra River, Khandu expressed serious concerns, calling it an even greater threat than the military. He warned that the dam, being built close to the Arunachal border, could act like a 'ticking water bomb,' posing an existential threat to local communities and ecosystems.
The dam, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo project—the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra—was announced after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the region in 2021. Khandu pointed out that China is not a signatory to international water treaties, meaning it is under no obligation to follow global rules regarding water use. He added that China's unpredictable behaviour makes the situation even more worrying.
'Setting aside the military threat from China, this dam is a far bigger issue,' Khandu said. 'It could cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It's quite serious because China could even use this as a kind of 'water bomb.''
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