Indian has greenlit plans to build a 500-kilometer rail network close to the China border to connect remote areas in the north-east. Authorities have also reactivated airside infrastructure such as Advance Landing Grounds — which have been dormant since 1962 — for helicopter and military aircraft use in its northeastern territories. Ties between India and China improved drastically over the past few months — with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visiting Tianjin for the SCO Summit. New Delhi however remains wary in case warming ties with neighboring China falter again.
500 km rail network and…
According to a Bloomberg report, India has already approved a plan to fortify its northeastern frontier by laying down about 500 kilometers of rail lines (including bridges and tunnels) to connect remote regions bordering China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. The project will have an estimated cost of Rs 300 billion and take approximately four years to complete. The country has also added 9,984 kilometers of highways at a cost of Rs 1.07 trillion over the past decade — with another 5,055 kilometers under construction.
New Delhi has also reportedly reactivated airside infrastructure such as Advance Landing Grounds — that have been inactive since 1962 — for helicopter and military aircraft use in this area.
Separate discussions are also underway to study additional rail lines near the disputed border with China in the northern Ladakh region. The current network extends to Baramulla in Kashmir.
India-China thaw
Ties between India and China have gradually moved towards normalcy in recent months — buoyed by the recent SCO Summit. The camaraderie between Modi, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had made global headlines earlier this month. It also presented a start contrast amidst a sharp deterioration in the India-US relationship. Modi and Xi had agreed to work towards a “fair, reasonable and mutually-acceptable” solution to the India-China border issue and pledged to expand trade and investment ties during their SCO meeting — recognising the role of the two economies to stabilise global trade.