Dec. 27, 2017 -- Q: Reports from India say that the landslides caused by earthquake in Tibet Autonomous Region may have caused problems in water quality in the Brahmaputra river. Has this been discussed in recent talks between the two countries?

 

A: The preliminary investigation carried out by the relevant Chinese department shows that the situation you mentioned was caused by natural factors in the far-flung, uninhabited areas near the disputed region along the east section of the China-India borderline, rather than man-made incidents. We noted that the specialized department on the Indian side also analyzed and clarified the situation. We hope that the Indian media shall not make these speculations before getting the facts straight. In the meantime, China remains in contact with the Indian side through existing channels on the issue concerning cross-border rivers.