Updated: November 8, 2020 11:19:03 pm
Chinese President Xi Jinping. (AP Photo / File)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday ordered officials to accelerate construction of the new $ 47.8 billion rail project connecting Sichuan province in the country’s southwest with Linzhi in Tibet, near the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh, and said it would play a key role in safeguarding the stability of border areas.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway line to Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway project. It will cross the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, one of the most geologically active areas in the world, according to Chinese official media.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway departs from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, crosses Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.
Linzhi, also known as Nyingchi, is located near the Arunachal Pradesh border.
The border dispute between India and China covers the 3,488 km long Royal Line of Control, the de facto border between the two countries. China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part of southern Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India.
Linzhi also has an airport which is one of the five airports built by China in the Himalayan region.
The Ya’an-Linzhi section covers 1,011 km with 26 stations. The trains are expected to run at speeds of between 120 and 200 km per hour. The total cost of the entire Sichuan-Tibet rail project is about 319.8 billion yuan ($ 47.8 billion), according to a recent state-run Global Times report.
In a video conference, before the start of construction on the project, Xi identified it as an important measure to facilitate the ruling Communist Party’s overall plan to rule Tibet in the new era, and highlighted the important role of the project in safeguarding the National unity. promote ethnic solidarity and consolidate stability in border areas.
He gave the instructions before the start of construction on the Ya’an-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet railway on Sunday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The Sichuan-Tibet railway will not only accelerate and enhance the overall economic development of the Tibet region, but will play an important role in safeguarding border stability, Global Times said.
The project will significantly contribute to the economic and social development of the western region, especially in Sichuan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, Xi said.
Underlining the complex geological and climatic conditions, as well as the fragile ecological environment along the project line, he called for taking advantage of China’s advantage of concentrating resources to get things done to accomplish this historic task, which is arduous but glorious.
The construction must be carried out in a scientific, safe and ecological way, Xi said, apparently referring to the fragility of the area, as it is one of the most active seismic regions in the world.
At the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang emphasized the priority of the project’s safety, reliability and quality, and called for coordinated efforts to promote construction, epidemic prevention, and people’s well-being.
The 1,011 km stretch between Ya’an in Sichuan and NyingChi in Tibet is the third part of the Sichuan-Tibet railway, to be executed by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
The Chengdu-Ya’an section of the project became operational in December 2018, and construction of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section began in June 2015, the Xinhua report added.
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