CHINA - Mega-Dam Project Begins

China has broken ground on what it says will be the world’s largest hydropower project, a $170 billion feat capable of generating enough electricity each year to power Britain.

The plan involves five dams along a 50 km stretch where the river plunges 2,000 meters off the Tibetan Plateau. First power is expected to be generated in the early to mid 2030s, but beyond that and the price tag, China has published little information about how it intends to build the project.

The chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, said earlier this year that the dam could dry out 80% of the river passing through the Indian state while potentially inundating downstream areas such as neighboring Assam state.

Quarrels over dams and water security are not new. Pakistan has accused India of weaponizing shared water supplies in the disputed Kashmir region after New Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates water sharing between the neighbors.

In Egypt, a senior politician was once caught on camera proposing to bomb a controversial Nile river dam planned by Ethiopia during a long-running dispute over the project.

-www.reuters.com, 22 July 2025

Commentary: For China’s neighbors, it would be most difficult to reverse these plans for the world’s largest hydroelectric project. Presently, the Chinese Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest.

Regarding neighboring countries’ concerns, China insists that they conducted necessary communications with downstream countries regarding flood control and disaster mitigation related to the project.

Today, China is a powerhouse to be reckoned with. One must also consider that over 57% of the world’s population resides in Asia. Wikipedia writes, “Asia is the fastest growing economic region, as well as the largest continental economy by both nominal GDP and PPP [purchasing power parity] in the world.”

The old mantra, “Go West, young man,” is now being replaced by “Go East.”

Our interest is the Church. While Christianity is a minor religion in Asia, with approximately 8% according to International Christian Concern, the number is significant.

It is difficult to estimate the numbers of Christians in China; various sources quote different numbers such as 50 million to over 200 million.

Are we seeing a foreshadow of the prophetic statement the apostle Peter declared: “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14)? In the meantime, Israel was established 77 years ago. Verse 16 declares: “After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.”

One thing we do know is the words of Jesus: “I will build my church.” From various sources, we have reason to believe that there is Church growth—not only in China, but also in other Asian countries. Most certainly we are living in this timeframe. Pray for the Church in Asia!