China to build train to Tibet along Line of Actual Control, disputed Aksai Chin region

China has proposed an audacious plan to build a new railway line across the disputed Aksai Chin region and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) passing through Tibet. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government recently unveiled a new railway plan that it claims will help increase the TAR rail network from its present 1,400km to 4,000km by 2025.

The project will span new routes that will extend up to China's borders with India and Nepal, according to a study by Railway Technology. The projected rail line is intended to begin in Shigatse, Tibet, go along the Nepal border to the northwest before cutting through Aksai Chin and terminating in Hotan, Xinjiang. On the Chinese side of the LAC, the proposed route will pass through Rutog and go around Pangong Lake.

The new railway line along the LAC will pose a strategic challenge for India

According to a state media report quoting the TAR Development and Reform Commission's plan, "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". 

India is extremely concerned that Beijing may feel compelled to exercise its military might more aggressively and arbitrarily modify its frontier with India as a result of the expansion of its railway network into and within Tibet and the impending arrival of railway lines to the LAC. Chinese analysts have openly argued that the railway line will aid in delivering key goods to the contentious Sino-Indian border in the event of a confrontation with India.

Tibetans worry about the exploitation of natural resources

Even Tibetans worry that the expansion of railways into Tibet will aid Beijing's exploitation of its natural resources. It is also anticipated that the growing number of Han Chinese migrants and tourists in Tibet would have an even greater impact on the region's demography and culture, which have already been threatened by China's decades-long "Sinicization" campaign.

The LAC now has more Chinese troops, according to Army Commander General Manoj Pande. Satellite imagery reveals continuous work by Chinese forces to strengthen their position along the India-China border in addition to increasing soldier numbers along the frontier.

The Indian borders are not far from the new railway line. The new railway connection would enable the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to quickly mobilise trainloads of soldiers to the frontlines in the event of a border with India in eastern LAC. Beijing has recently committed significant resources to construct the infrastructure that connects the border city with the rest of China.

On the eastern part of the LAC, China is also extending the Lhasa-Xigaze railway line southward to Yadong, a commercial hub close to the vital Nathu La mountain pass that connects Tibet and India. Yadong is also close to western Bhutan, whose Doklam plateau is claimed by China.

India is now more aware of the railroads' role in the mobilisation of PLA forces to the border as a result of the recent escalation of tensions along the LAC. The first segment from Shigatse to Pakhuktso is predicted to be finished by 2025, and the final segment of the line, which terminates at Hotan, is anticipated to be finished by 2035.

(With ANI Inputs)