Following the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 Hindu tourists, India has put the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 under abeyance. The treaty governs the sharing of water from three western rivers—Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum—with Pakistan. In the aftermath, several social media users began circulating claims that China has also decided to stop sharing all of its river water with India. However, our verification found no truth to this claim.
The World Ranking claimed, ‘ China is preparing to block all its river flow to India in response of breaking the Indus water treaty.’
Dr. Danish shared a screenshot claiming, ‘Lijian Zhao, former spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, tweeted: ‘China will block the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers flowing into India if it does not restore the Indus Waters Treaty.’
RKM stated, ‘China preparing to block all its river flow to India in Response of Breaking the Indus water treaty by India.’
Pak Army wrote, ‘Urgent From China. President Orders to Block All Water Supply to Indian Rivers in 2 Days If India not Reopen Indus River Water … China is One of Super Power who gave Guarantee for Agreement.’
The viral claim cited a statement by Lijian Zhao, former spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, so we started our fact-checking by reviewing Lijian Zhao’s official X account and found no post claiming that China has decided to stop the Brahmaputra River from flowing into India. In fact, Lijian Zhao has not been active since August 2024, with his last post being related to China’s Army Day.
Additionally, Zhao’s official X account is verified, whereas the viral screenshot making the claim originates from an unverified account, indicating it is likely fabricated.
We also found no credible media coverage whether from Indian, Western, or Chinese outlets such as Global Times, People’s Daily China, or the South China Morning Post reporting any such decision by China to block the Brahmaputra’s flow into India.
On the contrary, following the April 22 terror attack, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun strongly condemned the violence and expressed condolences for the victims. China’s ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, also conveyed his shock over the massacre and extended sympathy to the bereaved families.
Hence, the claim that China has decided to block the Brahmaputra River’s flow into India is completely false and baseless. This fake news appears to be part of a propaganda effort orchestrated by the Pakistani military establishment, aiming to instill fear among the Indian public—particularly in the Northeast region, which relies heavily on rivers originating in China, like the Brahmaputra.
| Claim | After India put the Indus Waters Treaty on hold following the Pahalgam terror attack, China has also stopped the flow of all its river water to India. |
| Claimed by | The World Ranking, Dr Danish, RKM and Pak Army |
| Fact Check | This claim is false. While India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack, there is no official confirmation or credible media report indicating that China has stopped the flow of river water to India. |
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