Beijing, Feb 21 (PTI) China's Global Security Initiative, mooted by President Xi Jinping, has called for cooperation to share trans-border rivers, a move which assumes significance in the light of concerns raised by India and Bangladesh over construction of dams by Beijing over the Brahmaputra as they could restrict water supply to the lower riparian countries.

"Call on upstream and downstream countries along trans-boundary rivers to actively engage in international cooperation, resolve relevant disputes through dialogue and consultation, ensure the safety of the shipping on transboundary rivers, rationally utilize and protect water resources, and protect the ecological environment of transboundary rivers," a concept paper released by the Foreign Ministry here said on Monday.

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India and Bangladesh, the lower riparian states, have raised concerns over the dams on Brahmaputra known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.

As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, India has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and has urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.

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China has downplayed such anxieties, saying it would keep their interests in mind. Reports say China is building the world's biggest hydroelectric dam over the Brahmaputra river in Tibet close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.

The proposed dam which one Chinese official said has "no parallel in history" will be built in Medog county, where the Brahmaputra Grand Canyon is located. Medog is the last county in Tibet which is located close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.

The Brahmaputra is the longest river in Tibet and its valley in southern Tibet is the world's deepest with a 7,000-metre drop from the highest mountain peak to the lowest basin.

China plans to build a hydropower plant in the valley with an electricity generation capacity reaching 70 gigawatts, about three times that of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world's largest built by the country, the report said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)