In a major concern for India, China is reportedly implementing its master plan in which it will build a new rail line that will run along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and through the disputed Aksai Chin region. According to a report in Railway Technology, the latest revelation came from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, which mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to build new railway lines near the LAC.
Significantly, during the Indo-China war of 1962, China had illegally occupied the area of Aksai Chin. The area has been a point of friction for the two countries as India considers it a part of the Leh district. While this was not the first time that China had planned to expand its rail network near the LAC, it was looking to expand the TAR rail network to 4,000 km by 2025 from the current 1,400 km.
The project will cover areas near India and Nepal
The project will cover new routes that will continue to China’s borders with India and Nepal, reports Railway Technology. Designed to start in Shigatse, Tibet, the proposed rail line would run northwest along the Nepal border before entering north through Aksai Chin and terminating in Hotan, Xinjiang.
The planned route will pass through Rutog and around Pangong Lake on the Chinese side of the LAC. The first section from Shigatse to Pakhuktso is expected to be completed by 2025, while the remaining line section ending at Hotan is expected to be completed by 2035.
The first section of the project is to be completed by 2025
A state media report, citing a plan revealed by the TAR Development and Reform Commission, said: “By 2025, construction of a number of railway projects, including the Yan-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, the Shigatse-Pakhuktso section of the Xinjiang-Tibet Railway , and the Bomi-Rauq section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway will all see significant progress.
“The improvement of the regional railway network will be of great importance in promoting socioeconomic development and safeguarding national security.”
(with inputs from agencies)