China has maintained necessary communication with the relevant countries in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River regarding the construction of a new hydropower project on the river, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, in interpreting China's recent announcement on the start of construction of the hydropower project.
On July 19, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the start of the construction of the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
When asked at a press conference in Beijing about the project and its impact on the regional environment, Guo Jiakun, the spokesman, said the project aims to accelerate the development of clean energy and improve the local population's livelihoods without adversely impacting the relevant regions.
"To build the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fully within China’s sovereignty. The project aims to speed up clean energy development, improve local people’s life, and proactively respond to climate change. China acts with a high sense of responsibility in harnessing cross-border rivers, and has rich experience in hydropower projects," Guo said.
"The planning, design and construction of this project strictly follows the highest national industrial standards. The project puts a lot of emphasis on all-round ecological conservation, stays away from multiple environmentally sensitive areas, and vows to preserve the original ecosystem to the largest extent possible. The construction of the project will help prevent and mitigate disasters along the entire Yarlung Zangbo River, and will not adversely affect downstream regions," he said.
Guo said China has maintained communication with the relevant countries on the project, and will continue to carry out cooperation with them on environmental and climate issues.
"China is engaged in cooperation with downstream countries on sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster reduction. We have had necessary communication with them on the project, and will continue enhancing cooperation for the benefit of all people along the river basin," said the spokesman.
China has had necessary int'l communication on Yarlung Zangbo hydropower project: spokesman
