River Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo) a potential flashpoint between India & China

Abstract

China and India are the two most populated countries on earth siting astride the Great Himalayas. Also, they are the fastest growing economies and hence extremely resource hungry. Energy and water being the key resources to guarantee sustained economic growth, both countries are developing diplomatic and military capacities to have secure access to these resources. Recently, both the powers have shown unprecedented political assertiveness and resource aggressiveness on the issue related to water sharing of an important Himalayan river, namely, Brahmaputra. This seemingly conventional political issue is essentially interlinked to complex existential concerns like water security for burgeoning population and industry, food security and sustained economic growth for both the countries. This paper aims at examining the stated water sharing dispute between India and China with a view to ascertain the likelihood of it becoming a flashpoint for an all-out military conflict between the two Asian giants.