China planning building spree in Tibet as India tensions rise, sources say
*Projects include Sichuan- Tibet, China- Nepal railways- sources. BEIJING, Sept 4- China is planning a more than 1 trillion yuan push to accelerate infrastructure investment in Tibet, including new and previously announced projects, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The construction plans include completion of the challenging middle section…
* Projects include Sichuan-Tibet, China-Nepal railways –
sources
* To begin building middle of Sichuan-Tibet rail soon -sources
* Plans include dry port to boost Tibet’s connectivity -sources
BEIJING, Sept 4 (Reuters) – China is planning a more than 1trillion yuan ($146 billion) push to accelerate infrastructureinvestment in Tibet, including new and previously announcedprojects, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The renewed push to step-up development of the remote andimpoverished southwestern region signals Beijing’s intent tobolster frontier security amid heightened border tensions withIndia in recent months, two of the sources said.
Last week, during a senior Communist Party meeting onTibet’s future governance, President Xi Jinping laudedachievements and praised frontline officials but said moreefforts were needed to enrich, rejuvenate and strengthen unityin the region.
He said a number of major infrastructure projects and publicfacilities would be completed, including the Sichuan-TibetRailway, according to remarks published by the official Xinhuanews agency.
The construction plans include completion of the challengingmiddle section of a high-elevation Sichuan-Tibet railway link, arailway line between Nepal and Tibet that has remained in theplanning stages, and a newly planned dry port in the TibetAutonomous Region, the sources said.
The sources declined to be identified because they were notauthorised to speak with media.
It was not immediately clear how much of the targetedspending is new, or over how many years it would be invested.
China’s State Council Information Office and the Tibetregional government did not immediately respond to requests forcomment.
Construction on the most difficult section of theSichuan-Tibet railway – linking Chengdu with Lhasa – will beginin coming weeks, said two of the sources.
The 270 billion yuan section of the railway has been knownfor construction challenges posed by rough terrain and complexgeology, notably the segment linking Sichuan’s Ya’an city withNyingchi in southeastern Tibet near the border with India.
Beijing also wants to push ahead with the Tibet-NepalRailway linking Kathmandu with Shigatse, the second-largest cityin Tibet, which was among a number of bilateral deals signed in2018 between Nepal and China, but has yet to gain much traction.
Nepal is a buffer between China and India and is consideredby New Delhi as its natural ally, but China has made inroads bypouring aid and infrastructure investment into what is one ofthe world’s poorest countries.
A June clash in the western part of the China-India borderwas the worst violence between the Asian giants in decades, andthere is little sign of easing tension, with more militaryaction in the past week.
RAIL ACCESS
Beijing has long aimed to build a high-speed rail network tomake Tibet more accessible from China’s inland provinces, and itplans to improve or extend railways being planned or constructedthat connect it with other parts of China, two of the sourcessaid.
Last month, China announced plans to expand the country’srailway network by one-third over the next 15 years.
Within Tibet, the planned spending covers the revamp andexpansion of highways, roads and scenic spots, two of thesources said.
Beijing sent troops into Tibet in 1950 in what it officiallyterms a peaceful liberation and maintains a heavy securitypresence in the region, which has been prone to unrest.
China rejects criticism from rights groups and Tibetanexiles of its rule there, saying it has brought much-neededdevelopment to a remote region and that it respects Tibet’sculture and religion.
China’s policies towards Tibet have come under the spotlightagain this year amid worsening ties with the United States.
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the UnitedStates would restrict visas for some Chinese officials involvedin blocking diplomatic access to Tibet and engaging in “humanrights abuses”.(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Kim Coghill)