A new concern for India is raised as China has planned to construct a new rail line that will operate near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and through the disputed Aksai Chin region, according to a report.
The government of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has unveiled a new railway plan that calls for the train line to run close to the line of actual control (LAC) and through the contentious Aksai Chin region.
Chinese activity near the LAC is a matter of concern for both India and Tibet.
On January 12, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said that there has been a 'slight increase' in the number of Chinese troops at the LAC.
Around 38,000 square km of Aksai Chin were unlawfully acquired in the 1950s, and during the 1962 India-China war, China strengthened its military control over the region. The region continued to be a source of conflict between the two nations.
Tibet's 'medium to long-term railway plan' will help expand the TAR rail network to 4,000 km by 2025 from the current 1,400 km, the railway technology reported.
Tibet demanded an independent United Nations fact-finding mission on February 13, the 110th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence. According to Tibet Rights Collective, the request was to make China responsible for the maltreatment of the Tibetan people and culture (TRC).
Designed to start in Shigatse, Tibet, the proposed rail line will run northwest along the Nepal border before piercing north via Aksai Chin and ending at Hotan, Xinjiang.