China is leveraging its influence to cow criticism of its avaricious projects in one of the world’s most fragile regions.

By Brahma Chellaney | The Japan Times

In Brief

The Tibetan Plateau, a vital water source for 20% of the global population and the origin of 10 major Asian rivers, faces an escalating environmental crisis due to China’s unchecked resource exploitation. Massive dam projects, including the world’s largest on the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) River, disrupt water flows, endanger food security, and amplify China’s geopolitical leverage over downstream nations, including India and Bangladesh. Simultaneously, rampant mining of critical minerals such as lithium and gold, accelerates deforestation and toxic waste, while militarization and suppression of indigenous Tibetan communities—1 million forcibly displaced since 2000—erase traditional environmental stewardship.

Indian geostrategist and columnist, Brahma Chellaney, calls for urgent action: real-time hydrological data sharing, independent environmental assessments, trade agreements and climate cooperation linked to transparency, indigenous rights, and equitable river management, as well as the amplification of Tibetan voices and support for civil society to counter China’s opacity.

Read the commentary in full at the publisher’s website here.

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