India in focus? Beijing plans mega building spree in Tibet
Projects include Sichuan-tibet, China-nepal railways
China is planning a more than 1 trillion yuan ($146 billion) push to accelerate infrastructure investment in Tibet, including new and previously announced projects, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The renewed push to stepup development of the remote and impoverished southwestern region signals Beijing’s intent to bolster frontier security amid heightened border tensions with India in recent months, two of the sources said.
Last week, during a senior Communist Party meeting on Tibet’s future governance, President Xi Jinping praised frontline officials but said more efforts were needed to enrich and strengthen unity in the region.
He said a number of major infrastructure projects and public facilities would be completed, including the Sichuantibet Railway, according to remarks published by the official Xinhua news agency.
The construction plans include completion of the challenging middle section of a high-elevation Sichuan-tibet railway link, a railway line between Nepal and Tibet that has remained in the planning stages, and a newly planned dry port in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the sources said.
It was not immediately clear how much of the targeted spending is new, or over how many years it would be invested. Construction on the most difficult section of the Sichuan-tibet railway —linking Chengdu with Lhasa — will begin in coming weeks, said two of the sources.
“MY ADMINISTRATION WILL SANCTION CHINESE OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN TIBET, AND STEP UP SUPPORT FOR THE TIBETAN PEOPLE” JOE BIDEN US presidential candidate