On July 19, the newly established state-owned enterprise of the Chinese Communist Party, China Yajiang Group, officially started the construction of the Yarlung Tsangpo River downstream hydropower project, also known as the “Yaxia Hydropower Project.” Chinese state media hailed it as another “project of the century.” Experts point out that the initiation of the Yaxia Hydropower Project reflects the authoritarian thinking of the CCP, with the biggest concern being its violation of both domestic and international laws. Given the history of unfinished projects by the CCP in recent years, the question of whether this project will be completed has drawn attention.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Yarlung Tsangpo River downstream hydropower project took place on the morning of July 19 at the Milin hydropower station site in Linzhi City, Tibet Autonomous Region. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang officially announced the commencement of the project.
The Yaxia Hydropower Project, also known as the Motuo Hydropower Station, is said to surpass the Three Gorges Dam upon completion, becoming the world’s largest hydropower station.
According to reports from Chinese state media, the project primarily involves a development approach of straightening bends and tunneling for water diversion, with the construction of five cascade power stations, requiring a total investment of approximately 1.2 trillion yuan. The total installed capacity is about 60 million kilowatts, 2.7 times that of the Three Gorges Project. With an annual power generation of over 300 billion kilowatt-hours, exceeding three times the designed power generation capacity of the Three Gorges Project. Officials claim that the project’s electricity will primarily be transmitted for consumption outside the region, while also meeting the local demand in Tibet.
Renowned hydraulic expert Wang Weiluo expressed to Epoch Times that the large-scale dam construction concept of the CCP was originally introduced from the former Soviet Union, aligning with the CCP’s “man can conquer nature” ideology and the Communist thinking of replication of Soviet achievements such as electrification, as well as emphasizing the CCP’s authoritarian control of resources. He stated that the initiation of the Yarlung Tsangpo River hydropower project under the CCP is a reenactment of Stalinism and extreme nationalism.
Wang Weiluo further mentioned that this project is another brainchild of Xi Jinping. In July 2021, amid the devastating floods in Zhengzhou, Xi Jinping personally visited the site of the Yarlung Tsangpo River downstream hydropower project in Linzhi, Tibet, and gave instructions on the project.
After the official announcement of the establishment of the new state-owned enterprise, China Yajiang Group, the A-share market experienced significant activity on the first trading day of the week starting July 21, with sectors related to infrastructure, water resources, and Tibet witnessing a surge. A number of A-share listed companies, including China Energy Construction, China Nuclear Power Construction, Chengdu Road and Bridge, and Chongqing Construction Engineering, saw their stocks hit the daily limit, while Hong Kong stocks of Dongfang Electric skyrocketed by 65%.
The CCP media claims that this project will not only reshape the energy landscape but also boost demand in the construction materials industry.
Wang Weiluo pointed out that in recent years, the massive investments in hydraulic projects by the CCP have been a significant means to ensure GDP growth. However, the effectiveness of these projects has been poor, particularly in terms of economic benefits. Many investments are considered ineffective, merely artificially inflating GDP growth statistics. The Yaxia Hydropower Project might absorb some of the domestic excess production capacity in industries like steel, cement, and machinery manufacturing, but it will further exacerbate the problem of oversupply in electricity production. Currently, the oversupply of solar and wind energy within the country is already severe.
Historian in Australia Li Yuanhua told Epoch Times that the initiation of large-scale projects inevitably absorbs a portion of production capacity, but there are other reasons behind them. Similar to the Three Gorges Project, which faced substantial opposition, the CCP persisted in pursuing it. Apart from the party leader’s delusions, it is more about officials seeking opportunities for corruption by pushing such large-scale projects and persuading others to support their initiation.
Researcher at the Taiwan Institute of National Defense and Security Affairs Shen Mingshi mentioned to Epoch Times that the large state-owned enterprises engaged by the CCP in infrastructure development originally expanded their business operations to other countries through the Belt and Road Initiative. However, with the shrinking of such activities in recent years, there is now a need for these large-scale projects to generate more profits locally.
In March 2021, the National People’s Congress of the CCP announced the construction of a “super dam” on the Yarlung Tsangpo River on…