Unwinnable contest: the competition for resources

FOR millions of years, monsoonal winds have cycled between Asia's tropical seas and the Tibetan Plateau, delivering snow to its high-altitude mountains and rains to the plains below them. The melting snow and summer rains combine to create a system of rivers that fan out from the mountains, delivering water and fertile soil to East, Southeast and South Asia. New development and technologies have allowed China to increase its presence on the Plateau, and it has also demonstrated a willingness to manipulate the region's water flows and water flow data.