China is preparing to construct a big hydropower project in Tibet's portion of the Brahmaputra River amid simmering border conflict with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. According to news, as part of the proposal for the country's 14th Five-Year Plan to be implemented next year, China plans to build the dam. It is understood that a company to build this dam has already been finalised by the Chinese government. The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), headed by President Xi Jingping, has already formulated the communist nation's five-year plan, as well as long-term targets by 2035. Yan Zhiyong, Chairman of China's Power Building Corp, said China will "implement the exploitation of hydropower downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River" (the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra River). As reported by the Global Times, citing an article on the WeChat account of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China on Sunday, the project could serve to preserve water supplies and domestic security.

"In culture, there is no comparison. Yan told the conference organised to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the China Society for Hydropower Engineering, that it will be a historic moment for the Chinese hydropower industry. The hydropower exploitation downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River is not just any hydropower project, according to Yan, as it will affect the environment, national security, living standards, energy and international cooperation. Yan added that the new hydropower station could produce annual revenue of 20 billion yuan (USD 3 billion) for the Autonomous Region of Tibet. In India, Beijing's propensity to regulate the flow of the Brahmaputra River has raised doubts about China's decision to construct a new dam. The Brahmaputra streams through Tibet, India and Bangladesh for over 3,000 km. As its basin is a vital source of water for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Nagaland and West Bengal, the Brahmaputra river is also crucial for India. The valley of Brahmaputra promotes the lives of many indigenous peoples.