Invasive Tibet section of Sichuan-Tibet Railway to be China’s Party centenary ‘gift’

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A construction site on the Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway in Tibet. (Photo courtesy: Xinhua)

(TibetanReview.net, Jun06’21) – A new railway track which is expected to eventually bring in a deluge of new Chinese immigrants to occupied Tibet and take back billions of tonnes of mineral ores and other vital resources is to be a “gift” by the Communist Party of China on its 100th founding anniversary on Jul 1.

The 37-billion yuan railway line, touted to be the region’s ‘fastest’ line, extends from Tibet’s capital Lhasa to the city of Nyingchi (Tibetan: Nyingtri) and is slated to begin operations from Jun 30.

The 435km line is Tibet’s ‘first electrified railway line’ and is a major chunk of China’s second rail link with Tibet – The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway stretch.

As part of China’s “project of the century,” the entire Lhasa-Nyingchi railway stretch is expected to be completed in 2030 and will connect Lhasa with Sichuan’s capital Chengdu. The line will be operated at a maximum speed of 160kmph with the entire stretch being covered in just 12 hours as compared to the 36-hour journey that needed to be made via road.

Notably, China’s latest 1 trillion yuan “development push” to accelerate infrastructure investment in Tibet will bolster its frontier security near the Tibet border amid the LAC standoff with India, noted the economist.com Jun 5, reporting on the “gift”.

It noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping had said the construction of the rail line would play a “key role in safeguarding the stability in the border areas of the nation.”

Nyingtri is located close to the border of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is its territory as a part of what it calls south Tibet.

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