Kathmandu. Amidst the stalemate at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh between Indian and Chinese militaries, China is prepared to construct a Sichuan-Tibet Railway line near Arunachal Pradesh. The tracks will connect Ya’an, a city in the west-central Sichuan province, and Linzhi in Tibet.

Linzhi is located near the Arunachal Pradesh border, and the region of Arunachal Pradesh has long since been claimed by China to be a part of the Southern Tibet. India had earlier issued a sharp word of caution in the past month when China reiterated its claim on the territory.

Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson of India’s external ministry had warned in October that, “Our position on Arunachal Pradesh has also been made clear several times. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. This fact has also been clearly conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions, including at the highest level.”

The Ya’an-Linzhi section stretches along 1,011 km, encompassing 26 stations. The China Railway announced the bidding results for the power supply project as well as the construction of a bridge and two tunnels. In the current period, the only railway that connects China to Tibet is the Qinghai-Tibet Railway that covers 1,956 km, and links Xining, the capital of the Qinghai Province to Lhasa, in Tibet. The travel time in the Qinghai-Tibet train is a little over 41 hours, and it would be reduced to 15 hours with the completion of the Ya’an-Linzhi line.

However, the terrain is incredibly tough, compared to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line, and the entire process promises to be challenging. Lin Shijing, the vice chief engineer, has commented, “It is like building the huge roller coaster between the most menacing and complex valleys on the extreme plateau.”

Lin Minwang, the Deputy Director at the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, has mentioned that the railway line is vital for the region as a whole. ” Tibet will have more exchanges with other parts of the Chinese mainland. Strategically, China’s Tibetan region will have much stronger capabilities in material transportation and logistical supplies,” he added.

The railway line in this instance does serve certain economic purposes, though its significance in China’s border stability cannot be discounted. Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University has mentioned that, “The route will boost economic development in Tibet and Sichuan, but a more important aspect is that it maintains Tibet’s security, stability and prosperity.”

The Director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University had noted that, “If a scenario of a crisis happens at China-India border, the railway will provide great convenience for China’s delivery of strategic materials.” The construction of the railway as India and China remain at odds with one another may serve to build the already heightening tensions between the states.