Just ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling CCP on July 1, China has launched the strategic 435.5-km Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway.
On June 25 Friday China started operations its first fully electrified bullet train in Tibet, connecting the provincial capital Lhasa and strategically located Tibetan border town Nyingchi close to Arunachal Pradesh.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the first electrified railway in Tibet Autonomous Region opened on Friday morning which links Lhasa with Nyingchi by “Fuxing” bullet trains.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second railway into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It goes through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Back in November 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping had instructed officials to quicken the construction of the new railway project, saying the new rail line would play a key role in safeguarding border stability.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, travels through Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.
Nyingchi is a prefecture-level city of Medog which is adjacent to the Arunachal Pradesh border.
It is to be noted that China has always claimed Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).