China’s Hydro-Politics on the Brahmaputra: Power, Water, and Strategic Leverage

China’s accelerating hydropower expansion on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra is no longer just an infrastructure story—it is a strategic signal with far-reaching geopolitical consequences. This intelligence brief unpacks how Beijing’s upstream control over one of Asia’s most critical rivers is altering the balance of power between China, India, and Bangladesh, transforming water from a shared natural resource into a tool of statecraft.

The report analyses China’s evolving dam-building strategy on the Tibetan plateau, highlighting how flow regulation, seasonal manipulation, and data asymmetry can translate into economic, political, and security leverage downstream. It explains why even limited control over timing and volume of river flows can generate disproportionate pressure during crises—affecting agriculture, hydropower generation, disaster management, and civilian security in India’s northeast and beyond. Scenario-based assessments outline pathways ranging from managed competition to coercive water diplomacy, underscoring why water security is becoming inseparable from national security planning.

For policymakers, strategic analysts, infrastructure planners, and investors tracking Indo-Pacific risk, this is essential reading. Those who follow Global Eye Intelligence gain early visibility into such emerging pressure points—before hydrological realities harden into geopolitical facts and strategic response windows narrow.