China to construct Xinjiang-Tibet rail line that will pass through Aksai Chin, LAC near Arunachal Pradesh

In a development that may have far-reaching consequences in the geopolitical and security scenario in Asia, China is set to begin construction of the 2,000 km rail line connecting Hotan in Xinjiang and Lhasa in Tibet. The proposed rail line will traverse the Kunlun, Karakoram, Kailash, and Himalayan mountain ranges at an average elevation of over 4,500 metres.

It is significant also because the rail line will pass through Aksai Chin, the area that originally belonged to India but was captured by China in the 1962 war. The proposed rail line will also pass through the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dividing the two countries.

According to the South China Morning Post, Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Company (XTRC) has been formally registered with a capital of $13.2 billion. It is wholly owned by China State Railway Group. It will be a challenge to human endeavor as the proposed rail link will pass through the most hostile terrain, where the temperature may be as low as -40 degrees Celsius.