Diplomatic water cooperation: the case of Sino-India dispute over Brahmaputra

Abstract

This article adopts the case study of resource management dispute over the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers (GBM) that cross national boundaries between China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and India. Sino-Indian diplomatic initiatives over the GBM give rise to a complex and unbalanced geographical situation, which presents the need to seek solutions. This article investigates the significance of the arrangement to share hydrological data resulting from Sino-Indian diplomacy. The scope and extent of formalization are key indicators of success in cooperative activity between states. This paper argues that India and China have developed a form of preliminary cooperation through the sharing of water data to resolve disputes. However, the two countries have vested varying interests in the resolution mechanism. No substantial cooperation has been established to tackle conflict resolution and water resource management. This case indicates that relating to the geographical features of the shared river-water resolution is substantially affected by historic tensions.