Delhi, January 30, 2025 —The Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), in collaboration with the Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives (FNVA), hosted a thought-provoking panel discussion titled “Insight from Tibet: China’s Expanding Influence and Its Strategic Implications for India” at the India International Center in Delhi. The event, which attracted around 50 distinguished attendees, including former diplomats, professors, scholars, and young researchers, explored the growing strategic and socio-environmental challenges arising from China’s influence in Tibet.
The panel featured a prominent lineup from TPI, led by Deputy Director Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, along with Dr. Tsewang Dorji and Dechen Palmo, both research fellows at the institute. Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, an expert on Chinese studies, chaired the session, guiding the conversation on the multi-dimensional impacts of China’s policies in Tibet.
The session sparked an engaging discussion, with the audience actively participating by raising insightful questions and sharing their views. Topics ranged from China’s controversial mining activities in Tibet to its large-scale infrastructure projects and energy ambitions in the region, each carrying significant implications for India and the broader geopolitical landscape.
Professor Srikanth Kondapali, the chair of the panel discussion, began by providing a comprehensive overview of Tibet’s ecological importance and the socio-environmental challenges it has been facing in recent years.
High-Altitude Mass Relocation in Tibet: A Case Study on the Senburi Relocation Project
Dr. Tsewang Dorji’s presentation focused on China’s high-altitude mass relocation project, specifically the Senburi Relocation Project (2019-2025). The project is part of China’s broader poverty alleviation propaganda program, which involves relocating Tibetan nomads and farmers from Nagchu to the remote Senburi valley. Over 130,000 residents are planned for relocation to Tibet’s border regions, including areas near India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Dr. Dorji discussed the socio-economic and political implications of the relocation program, using the relocation of 30,000 residents from Nagchu as a case study. His research revealed the hidden agenda behind the project and the potential risks it poses to local Tibetan communities. Using a combination of interviews, satellite images, and official documents, Dr. Dorji demonstrated how this mass relocation is not only a forced settlement strategy but also a move to secure control over critical border regions, intensifying tensions with neighboring countries.
China’s Green Energy Ambitions: Tibet as a Hydropower Hub
Dechen Palmo concluded the discussion with her research on China’s ambition to transform Tibet into a hydropower hub. With more than 193 hydropower projects planned or under construction in Tibet since 2000, China aims to leverage Tibet’s vast river systems to meet its energy needs. Palmo specifically addressed the massive dam project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which has raised concerns about environmental disruption, displacement of local communities, and geopolitical tensions with downstream nations such as India.
While China claims these hydropower projects align with its carbon neutrality goals, Palmo cautioned that they significantly threaten Tibet’s ecosystems and may exacerbate regional tensions, especially in seismically active areas. She emphasized the need for equitable water-sharing agreements with downstream countries and urged China to explore alternative renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy to mitigate the socio-environmental impact of hydropower projects.
Socio-Environmental Impact of Chinese Mining Activities across Tibet
Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha presentated on the Socio-Environmental Impact of Mining across Tibet. He highlighted that Tibet, rich in mineral resources such as copper, zinc, uranium, and lithium, has become the site of extensive Chinese mining operations. The Chinese government’s designation of mining as a pillar industry in the region contradicts its claims of promoting sustainable development.
Zamlha pointed out that these mining activities have resulted in pollution of rivers, desecration of sacred mountains, and severe environmental degradation, demonstrating China’s disregard for both the cultural significance of these areas to the Tibetan people and the region’s ecological balance. He underscored the urgency of addressing these issues, drawing on real-life case examples from Tibet to emphasize the destructive consequences of unchecked mining in the region.
As the Deputy Director of the Tibet Policy Institute, Zamlha emphasized TPI’s role in addressing Tibet’s challenges. He highlighted the institute’s efforts in offering policy insights and recommendations on issues impacting Tibet and its people, organizing conferences, and participating in panel discussions to bring Tibetan perspective in the forefront of any global discussion on Tibet. He also spoke about TPI’s work in countering the Chinese government’s deliberately crafted false narratives about Tibet, raising awareness of the socio-political challenges the region faces, providing expert analysis, and proposing solutions to ensure a sustainable future for Tibet.
The event concluded with a call to action for deeper engagement between India, Tibet, and the international community in addressing these critical issues. As China’s influence in Tibet continues to expand, the strategic implications for India and the broader region remain a key concern, and dialogue on these issues is more important than ever.