Xi Jinping instructs to ramp up construction of Sichuan-Tibet railway project

Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 8 instructed the officials to ramp up the speed of construction of the new $47.8 billion railway project connecting nation’s southwest Sichuan province to Linzhi in Tibet, that is nearby Arunachal Pradesh. As per reports, the Chinese President has said that the construction of the rail line would play a ‘key role in safeguarding’ the stability in the border areas of the nation. More than 1,000-kilometre-long railway project would cover the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau which is also the world’s most geologically active areas, as purported by Chinese state media. 

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, the capital of the southwest province and travels through Ya’an before entering Tibet through Qamdo. This rail line would significantly cut short the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa by from 48 hours to as less as 13 hours. The place where the rail line would end is Linzhi, that is also known as Nyingchi and is located near to the border of Arunachal Pradesh. 

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Rail-line project amid India-China border dispute

Xi’s remarks over expediting the construction of the rail line ending near Arunachal Pradesh border came amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China that is 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). Similar to other territorial claims, China has considered Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet. However, this claim is categorically rejected by India. Linzhi has an airport which is one of the five airports built by China in the Himalayan region. 

The Ya’an-Linzhi section runs reportedly 1,011 km with 26 stations and as per PTI report, the trains are expected to run at a speed between 120 and 200 kilometres per hour. The entire Sichuan-Tibet Railway project would cost the Chinese government 319.8 billion yuan or $47.8 billion, as reported by the official mouthpiece of Chinese Communist Party, the Global Times. 

It was ahead of the commencement of the construction did Xi identify the project as a significant step towards China’s fundamental plan of governing Tibet in the new generation. He also emphasised that the rail line would play a major part in protecting national unity while promoting ethnic solidarity and consolidating stability in the border areas. 

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Image: AP