Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing visited the Yarlung Tsangpo construction site in Tibet and told workers the mega dam rising there must put quality, safety and ecology ahead of speed. The project, which is under construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo, is slated to become the world’s largest hydropower facility.
Zhang called it a “major landmark project of the new era” and said construction progress must be strictly subordinate to quality and safety. He added that every stage, from engineering design and construction organisation to material supply, must undergo rigorous quality control, while construction standards and ecological environmental protection requirements are strictly implemented.
The site matters because the dam is not being treated as an ordinary power project. Chinese officials describe it as highly sensitive, and Beijing has framed it as part of a broader effort to tap the Tibetan Plateau through green energy and infrastructure while also boosting regional growth. That makes Zhang’s emphasis on ecological integrity and safety more than routine oversight; it is a signal about how the project will be managed as it advances.
The tension is that a facility meant to showcase China’s development ambitions is also being built in one of the country’s most environmentally sensitive areas. Zhang’s message leaves little doubt about the priority order for now: the dam will move forward, but not at the expense of safety or the landscape around it.
