China to start $13bn rail line project close to LAC. Alarm bells ring in Delhi amid easing of ties
File photo of Chinese workers checking the railway track in Dangxiong county of the Tibet Autonomous Region Photograph: (Reuters)
The railway line is likely to cross from Aksai Chin and close to the G219 national highway, near the Line of Actual Control, a region that is disputed and has in the past triggered tensions between India and China.
China is going to initiate construction of an ambitious rail link connecting Hotan in Xinjiang to Shigatse in Tibet, part of which will “run near” the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and is likely to cause concerns and friction, according to a media report. As per a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, the line is likely to cross from Aksai Chin and close to the G219 national highway, near the Line of Actual Control, a region that is disputed and has in the past triggered tensions between India and China.
The development comes as India and China are working to improve relations after the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes near the LAC. The countries are holding talks to ease border tensions.
The railway line will connect Hotan in Xinjiang to Shigatse in Tibet and join with the existing Lhasa-Shigatse line forming a 2,000 km artery linking northwestern and southwestern China. The line is likely to pass through Rutog and around Pangong Lake on the Chinese side of the LAC.
“This ambitious project aims to establish a 5,000 km plateau rail framework centred on Lhasa by 2035,” Hubei-based Huayuan Securities said in a research note.
Terrain poses challenges for construction
The route will have an average elevation of more than 4,500 metres, running through the Kunlun, Karakoram, Kailash and Himalayan mountain ranges.
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There will be challenges in construction as the line will pass through glaciers, frozen rivers, and permafrost. The project is part of Beijing’s plan to connect Tibet with the rest of the country.
China already has three railway lines in Tibet
China already has three railway lines in Tibet: the Qinghai-Tibet line, the Lhasa-Shigatse line, and the Lhasa-Nyingchi line. The Lhasa-Nyingchi line goes to Tibet’s southeast, and close to the border with Arunachal Pradesh.
The planning for the Xinjiang-Tibet line began in 2008 and the project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission.
The Chinese transport ministry said in April that the Xinjiang-Tibet railway line is one of the 45 major projects, where construction is expected to begin this year.
Company set up to oversee construction
China has launched a state-owned company, Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Company, to supervise the construction and operations of the railway line. The company has been registered with a capital of 95 billion yuan ($13.2 billion) and is wholly owned by China State Railway Group. The firm will be responsible for construction, production of railway transportation equipment, real estate development, operations, and developing tourist facilities.
What about the Xinjiang-Tibet line concerns India
The railway line will pass through Aksai Chin, which Beijing falsely claims to be part of Xinjiang since China captured Aksai Chin in the 1950s and bolstered its military grip over the area during the 1962 India-China war.
Aksai Chin is a strategic artery that would help China to move its troops closer to the LAC.
The plan for the rail link in contentious territory comes just after Beijing and New Delhi began normalisation of relations after over four years of a freeze in ties due to the military standoff in the sprawling Eastern Ladakh.
The ties began looking up after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last year.
PM Modi is expected to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit beginning August 31.
