The massive economic stimulus and boost to clean power from a 1.2 trillion yuan ($167 billion) mega-dam in Tibet has proven convincing enough for Chinese leaders to set aside concerns about potential damage to biodiversity and the impact on relations with India.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang launched construction of the hydropower project, which is three times the size of the Three Gorges Dam, on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river on Saturday. He also unveiled the China Yajiang Group, a new company that will manage the dam’s development, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.