China-Indian conflict can be again, the issue this time is power plants
India has finalized plans to spend $1 billion to speed up the construction of 12 hydropower plants in Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China. Official sources in both countries said that such a move by New Delhi in the territory claimed by China could give a new dimension to India’s long-standing border dispute with China.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently approved about $90 million in assistance for each project in the Northeast Himalayan region. Under this initiative, about 9 thousand crore rupees will be allocated for 12 hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
It is learned that this mega project is expected to get the support of North Eastern states. Plans for these hydropower plants will be announced in the 2024-25 budget and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will unveil the projects on July 23.
The sources declined to be named for confidentiality reasons. Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Finance and Power and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment on the matter.
India and China have a 2,500 km border, most of which is undefined. The two countries were involved in a war in 1962 over the border. India claims Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of the country, but China claims it is a part of southern Tibet. Therefore, Beijing is strongly opposed to the Indian infrastructure construction project in this disputed region.
