China to use Bangladesh card against India over Yarlung Tsangpo talks

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, Dec 28: China has accused India of violation over sharing of contentious Brahmaputra water with Bangladesh and said it will press it against India during it’s river water negotiations with India.

“It’s understandable that India may want to reach a deal with China over the construction of dams and the sharing of hydrological data, but Bangladesh should also enjoy a similar right to protect its interests against India,” reports Chinese state-run The Global Times.

China has blamed India of exploiting the Brahmaputra and highlighted that Bangladesh shouldn’t be left out to protect its interests against India like India does against China and encouraged Dhaka to raise the issue with India over Brahmaputra, known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, which originates from Tibet and passes to Bangladesh via India.

Just as Chinese dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo arouse vigilance in India, India’s effort to exploit the river – which are no less ambitious than China’s – have sparked concerns down stream in Bangladesh, the report added.

The report has further encouraged the Chinese government to take advantage of the negotiations over the Yarlung Tsangpo to push forward China’s ‘one belt, one road’ or the ‘Silk Road’ programme which focuses on the connectivity and cooperation between China and the rest of Eurasia on which India has its reservations.