NEW DELHI: India has urged China to resume sharing hydrological data on trans-border rivers and provide greater transparency on upstream projects, stressing that the interests of downstream countries must be protected.
The issue was raised during the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) on Thursday. India also called for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers, established in 2006, and emphasised the need for China to share technical details of projects being undertaken upstream.
India’s renewed push for greater transparency comes after China recently announced plans for a mega dam project. New Delhi has consistently maintained that downstream countries should be consulted and kept informed about major upstream activities that could affect trans-border river systems.
As a lower riparian state with established user rights over the waters of trans-border rivers, India routinely conveys its concerns to Chinese authorities, the government has said. It has urged Beijing to ensure that activities in upstream areas do not adversely affect the interests of downstream states.
India has also repeatedly called for the resumption of hydrological data sharing and other forms of cooperation relating to trans-border rivers.
At Thursday’s WMCC meeting, both sides agreed to continue using existing diplomatic and military channels to address outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These mechanisms include the WMCC, meetings between local military commanders and other mutually agreed channels.
The Indian side also reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains essential for the development of bilateral relations.
The meeting followed up on the outcomes of the 24th round of Special Representative talks on the boundary question held last year. According to the Indian readout, the two sides held detailed discussions on boundary delimitation, border management, institutional mechanisms and trans-border cooperation.
During the Special Representative talks, India and China had agreed to establish an Expert Group under the WMCC to explore an “early harvest” arrangement for boundary delimitation in certain areas.
Both sides had also agreed to strengthen border management mechanisms and take steps to maintain peace and tranquillity in their respective border areas.
India’s latest push on river-water cooperation comes amid broader efforts to stabilise bilateral ties, with New Delhi continuing to seek greater transparency and predictability in China’s activities along the shared border as well as on trans-border rivers.
