The devastating Himalayan floods in August exposed an uncomfortable reality for Asia: Infrastructure built in the world’s most fragile mountain systems can threaten security far beyond national borders.
A destructive high-altitude event in Nepal reportedly carried debris more than 100 kilometers downstream, damaging infrastructure and demonstrating how quickly a localized geological disturbance can become a regional emergency.
Against this backdrop, China’s construction of the enormous Medog hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet demands international attention. For Japan, whose infrastructure investments and strategic partnership with India increasingly extend into the country’s northeastern region, Medog presents a growing geopolitical, environmental and economic challenge.
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