China is all set to operationalise the first electric train in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, connecting the provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi - a strategically located Tibetan border town close to Arunachal Pradesh.

The 435.5-km Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is expected to be inaugurated ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1, according to official media reports.

The electricity transmission process has been completed and tested, Liu Yuxiang, Chief Engineer of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, was quoted as saying by the state-run CCTV earlier. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world’s most geologically active areas.

In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping had instructed officials to expedite construction of the new railway project, connecting Sichuan Province and Nyingchi in Tibet, saying the new rail line would play a key role in safeguarding the border stability. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and travels through Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.

Nyingchi is prefecture level city of Medog which is adjacent to the Arunachal Pradesh border. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the official daily Global Times earlier that “If a scenario of a crisis happens at the China-India border, the railway will provide a great convenience for China’s delivery of strategic materials."

China is all set to operationalise the first electric train in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, connecting the provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi - a strategically located Tibetan border town close to Arunachal Pradesh.

China is all set to operationalise the first electric train in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, connecting the provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi - a strategically located Tibetan border town close to Arunachal Pradesh. The 435.5-km Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is expected to be inaugurated ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1, according to official media reports. The electricity transmission process has been completed and tested, Liu Yuxiang, Chief Engineer of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, was quoted as saying by the state-run CCTV earlier. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world’s most geologically active areas. In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping had instructed officials to expedite construction of the new railway project, connecting Sichuan Province and Nyingchi in Tibet, saying the new rail line would play a key role in safeguarding the border stability. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and travels through Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours. Nyingchi is prefecture level city of Medog which is adjacent to the Arunachal Pradesh border. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the official daily Global Times earlier that “If a scenario of a crisis happens at the China-India border, the railway will provide a great convenience for China’s delivery of strategic materials."

China to operationalise first electric train in Tibet near Arunachal border

China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world's highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters, the Chinese military's official website reported on Monday.

The mountain is located in Nagarze County in Tibet which is in the vicinity of borders with India and Bhutan.

At the end of last year, the People's Liberation Army started to coordinate with civilian enterprises to launch 5G base station construction in Ganbala to solve the difficulty of network access for the border defence troops, the website said.

The stable and high-speed 5G signal enables the soldiers in the deep mountains to keep up with the information society, leaving the monotonous and boring life on the border, it said.

It is part of efforts to improve training and on-duty conditions for soldiers stationed in border areas, it added.

Radar operator Lin Linghui told the website said that serving in the military on plateau areas means that he could not get together with family members often, but he could now have video chat with his family freely and witness the growth of his child.

China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world's highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters, the Chinese military's official website reported on Monday.

China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world's highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters, the Chinese military's official website reported on Monday. The mountain is located in Nagarze County in Tibet which is in the vicinity of borders with India and Bhutan. At the end of last year, the People's Liberation Army started to coordinate with civilian enterprises to launch 5G base station construction in Ganbala to solve the difficulty of network access for the border defence troops, the website said. The stable and high-speed 5G signal enables the soldiers in the deep mountains to keep up with the information society, leaving the monotonous and boring life on the border, it said. It is part of efforts to improve training and on-duty conditions for soldiers stationed in border areas, it added. Radar operator Lin Linghui told the website said that serving in the military on plateau areas means that he could not get together with family members often, but he could now have video chat with his family freely and witness the growth of his child.

China opens 5G signal station at world's highest radar location near Tibet border

China has started importing Indian&nbsp;rice&nbsp;for the first time in at least three decades due to tightening supplies and an offer from India of sharply discounted prices, Indian industry officials told Reuters.

India is the world's biggest exporter of&nbsp;rice&nbsp;and China is the biggest importer. Beijing imports around 4 million tonnes of&nbsp;rice&nbsp;annually but has avoided purchases from India, citing quality issues.

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The breakthrough comes at a time when political tensions between the two countries are high because of a border dispute in the Himalayas.

"For the first time China has made&nbsp;rice&nbsp;purchases. They may increase buying next year after seeing the quality of Indian crop," said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the&nbsp;Rice&nbsp;Exporters Association.

Indian traders have contracted to export 100,000 tonnes of broken&nbsp;rice&nbsp;for Dec-February shipments at around $300 per tonne, industry officials said.

China's traditional suppliers, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Pakistan, have limited surplus supplies for export and were quoting at least $30 per tonne more compared with Indian prices, according to Indian&nbsp;rice&nbsp;trade officials.

China has started importing Indian rice for the first time in at least three decades due to tightening supplies and an offer from India of sharply discounted prices, Indian industry officials told Reuters.

China has started importing Indian rice for the first time in at least three decades due to tightening supplies and an offer from India of sharply discounted prices, Indian industry officials told Reuters. India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and China is the biggest importer. Beijing imports around 4 million tonnes of rice annually but has avoided purchases from India, citing quality issues. The breakthrough comes at a time when political tensions between the two countries are high because of a border dispute in the Himalayas. "For the first time China has made rice purchases. They may increase buying next year after seeing the quality of Indian crop," said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association. Indian traders have contracted to export 100,000 tonnes of broken rice for Dec-February shipments at around $300 per tonne, industry officials said. China's traditional suppliers, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Pakistan, have limited surplus supplies for export and were quoting at least $30 per tonne more compared with Indian prices, according to Indian rice trade officials.

China buys Indian rice for first time in decades as supplies tighten

After triggering a border standoff with India in may - China has failed to follow through on its promise of de-escalation. India is now strengthening its defences by deploying out missiles. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: India-China border stand-off: India strengthens border defences

India issued statement after completion of border talks. According to Indian govt both sides had a frank exchange of views and are agree to maintain close consultations.

News Alert: India-China WMCC meet over | Moscow consensus key to resolution

India-China Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) talks are underway virtually. While this is the 19th WMCC meet since the mechanism came up in 2012, it is the fifth such meet amid the ongoing tension.

India-China WMCC talks underway