New Delhi: In a bid to boost infrastructure in strategic locations, China on Friday operated its first fully electrified bullet train in the remote Himalayan region, connecting provincial capital Lhasa and Nyingchi, strategically close to Arunachal Pradesh. Tibetan border town.
The 435.5-km-long Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway has been inaugurated ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
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Why is it important for India?
The first electrified railway in the Tibet Autonomous Region will connect Lhasa to Ningchi as the “Fuxing” bullet train begins its official operation in the plateau region. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway has emerged after the first commissioning of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It will pass through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the most geologically active regions in the world.
In November, on the suggestions of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the construction of the new railway project was expedited because the new railway line will play an important role in safeguarding the stability of the border.
The Sichuan–Tibet Railway starts in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and travels through Yan and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.
It is strategically important to India as Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city of Medog, borders Arunachal Pradesh. China has been claiming Arunachal Pradesh as a part of South Tibet, which India has been vehemently opposed to. The 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is involved in the India-China border dispute.
The railway line is important for China, as Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, said, “If a crisis scenario occurs along the Sino-India border, the railway will provide a great convenience for China’s strategic Delivery of material.
Earlier, China had rubbished reports of building a village in Arunachal Pradesh, saying construction activities were within its own territory and its sovereign rights. Therefore, it becomes even more important for India to develop its infrastructure to secure the regions, even though development remains the main cause of conflict between the two countries.
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