[10][11][12][13] In 1972, the Chinese Academy of Sciences created the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Comprehensive Scientific Expedition which in part studied conditions in the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River basin.

[15] In April 2009, China's Gezhouba Group was awarded a $167 million contract for the Zangmu Hydropower Project.

According to the company, the contract is for the design and construction of the dam along with its power house to control water flowing downstream to North Eastern India.

Reportedly, China had previously denied that they were constructing a dam on the Brahmaputra River, even after the contract was awarded.

In April 2010, Yang Jiechi, their Foreign Minister, officially revealed that they were in fact constructing the Zangmu Dam on the river.

"[12][16][17][18] Indian officials such as the Arunachal Pradesh Power Minister Jabron Gamlin express that "China's constructing a dam is a cause of concern for us, but we are not certain how big this dam is and what affect it would have on people living downstream".

[19] In January 2013 China approved three more dams on the river as part of its Twelfth Five Year Plan.