In a major concern for India, China is reportedly executing its master plan wherein it will construct a new rail line that will operate near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and through the disputed Aksai Chin region. According to a report by railway technology, the latest revelation came from Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, wherein it noted Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to construct new railway lines near the LAC.
It is worth mentioning the area of Aksai Chin was illegally occupied by China during the 1962 India-China war. The area has been a point of confrontation for both nations as India considers it as a part of the Leh district. Though it was not the first time when China planned to expand its rail network near LAC, it was trying to extend the TAR rail network to 4,000km by 2025 from the current 1,400km.
Project will cover areas near India and Nepal
As per the report by Railway Technology, the project will cover new routes that will continue up to China's borders with India and Nepal. Designed to start in Shigatse, Tibet, the proposed rail line will run northwest along the Nepal border before piercing north via Aksai Chin and ending at Hotan, Xinjiang.
The planned route will travel through Rutog and around Pangong Lake on the Chinese side of the LAC. The first section from Shigatse to Pakhuktso is anticipated to be completed by 2025, while the remaining line section concluding at Hotan is expected to be completed by 2035.
First section of project to be completed by 2025
A state media report citing the plan revealed by the TAR Development and Reform Commission stated: "By 2025, the construction of several railway projects, including the Ya'an-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, the Shigatse-Pakhuktso section of the Xinjiang-Tibet Railway, and the Bomi-Ra'uk section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway will all see significant progress.
"Improvements to the regional railway network will be of great significance in promoting socioeconomic development and safeguarding national security."
(With inputs from agency)
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