China to Begin Xinjiang–Tibet Railway Near LAC in Aksai Chin: Report

China is set to start work on a major railway connecting Hotan in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet, with parts of the track running close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the disputed Aksai Chin region. The project, seen as a potential strategic concern for India due to its sensitive border location, could begin this year, according to the South China Morning Post. A newly formed state-owned company will handle the construction and operation of the Xinjiang–Tibet Railway.

Target completion by 2035

The proposed line is part of China’s broader goal to create a 5,000-kilometre high-altitude railway network centred on Lhasa by 2035. The newly formed Xinjiang–Tibet Railway Company has been registered with an initial capital of 95 billion yuan (about US$13.2 billion) and is fully owned by the China State Railway Group. However, this starting fund is not the total project cost for comparison, the 1,800-kilometre Sichuan–Tibet Railway is projected to cost 320 billion yuan (about US$45 billion).

Sections to pass near India border

Parts of the planned route will run close to the LAC the de facto border between China and India making it strategically valuable in a region with relatively little infrastructure. The Aksai Chin area, through which the G219 Highway already passes, was a key flashpoint during the 1962 Sino–Indian war.

The Xinjiang–Tibet Railway is one of four major planned rail links intended to improve Tibet’s connectivity with the rest of China. The Qinghai–Tibet line is already operational, while the other two routes are still under construction. Tibet is also linked to China’s high-speed rail network, which currently reaches as far as the border with Arunachal Pradesh.

Timing amid shifting India–China relations

The railway plan comes at a time when Beijing and New Delhi have only recently started efforts to normalise ties following more than four years of strained relations due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Aksai Chin lies within the same contested region. Relations began to improve after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in Russia last year. Modi is also expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in late August. In parallel, China is undertaking several other large-scale projects in Tibet, including the construction of what will be the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra River, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.