THE THREE GORGES DAM IN CHINA: Forced Resettlement, Suppression of Dissent and Labor Rights Concerns

In April 1992, China's National People's Congress (npc) formally approved the "Resolution on the Construction of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Project," marking the conclusion of decades of controversy within the Chinese leadership in favor of supporters of the world's biggest-ever river dam project. Despite strenuous government attempts to muzzle the debate, almost one-third of the normally compliant npc delegates, in an unprecedented display of legislative dissent, either abstained or cast opposition votes. The following year, a pilot project for the resettlement of an estimated 1.1 to 1.6 million inhabitants of the proposed 600-kilometer-long reservoir area drew to a close and, in early 1994, the full resettlement program began in earnest. By mid-year, excavation and preparation of the dam's foundations were underway at Sandouping, the chosen dam site just downstream of the world-famous Three Gorges scenic area; in December, Premier Li Peng formally declared the project open. The Chinese government has offered overseas manufacturers US$3 billion worth of machinery and equipment contracts and will reportedly seek an additional US$5 billion or so in overseas funding for the project.