{"id":15350,"date":"2021-05-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/22-05-2021\/strategic-tibet-highway-near-arunachal-border\/"},"modified":"2021-05-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-22T00:00:00","slug":"strategic-tibet-highway-near-arunachal-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2021\/strategic-tibet-highway-near-arunachal-border","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Tibet Highway Near Arunachal Border"},"content":{"rendered":"

In News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Recently ,China has completed construction of a strategically significant highway through the world\u2019s deepest canyon in <\/span><\/span><\/span>Tibet along the Brahmaputra river<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Brahmaputra River<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Brahmaputra River (also known as <\/span><\/span><\/span>Jamuna in Bangladesh, Tsangpo in Tibet, Yarlung Zangbo Jiang in China<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>) is a major river of Central and South Asia.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It originates from the<\/span><\/span><\/span> Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> near the Mansarovar lake.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It passes through the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and Bangladesh and enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Brahmaputra is the longest river in Tibet and its valley is the world’s deepest with a 7,000-metre drop from the highest mountain peak to the lowest basin<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Tributaries: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Dibang, Lohit, Siang, Burhi Dihing, Tista, and Dhansari.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>perennial river <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and has several peculiar characteristics due to the physiography and prevailing climatic conditions.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • In its lower course, the river is both a creator and a destroyer as it deposits huge quantities of fertile alluvial soil but also causes disastrous and frequent floods.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It flows around 2,900 km from its source in the Himalayas to its confluence with the Ganges (Ganga) River, after which the mixed waters empty into the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Bay of Bengal at Sunderban Delta<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Image Courtesy: ORF<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

    Major Highlights<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Highway<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • The construction of the highway\u00a0 began in <\/span><\/span><\/span>2014<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, is part of a <\/span><\/span><\/span>wider infrastructure<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> push in <\/span><\/span><\/span>border areas in Tibet.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The highway took seven years to complete and passes through the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangb<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>o river, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • This is the\u00a0 significant passageway to <\/span><\/span><\/span>Medog county<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that borders Arunachal, directly connecting the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Pad township in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog county.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The highway will reduce the distance between <\/span><\/span><\/span>Nyingchi city and Medog<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> from 346 km to 180 km and will cut the <\/span><\/span><\/span>travel time by eight hours.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • It will enable greater access to remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Railway line\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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        • In November 2020 , China began work on a strategically important railway line \u2014 its second major rail link to Tibet after the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Qinghai-Tibet railway that opened in 2006<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2014 that will link Sichuan province with Nyingchi..<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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          • The first segment of the line within the Sichuan province, from Chengdu to Yaan, was completed in December 2018. Work on the 1,011-km section from Yaan to Nyingchi will be finished in 2030.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • \u00a0The railway will help \u201ctransport advanced equipment and technologies from the rest of China to Tibet and bring local products out\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • New civilian settlements in disputed territories<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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            • The construction of <\/span><\/span><\/span>new civilian settlements <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2014 along with the expansion of existing smaller hamlets \u2014 along border areas, some of which lie in disputed territories claimed by India and Bhutan aims to strengthen <\/span><\/span><\/span>China\u2019s control over the land<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • In 2017, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>government launched a plan to build \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>moderately well-off villages<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d in border areas, under which 628 \u201cfirst line and second line villages\u201d (referring to those right on the border and others in remote areas slightly further within )would be <\/span><\/span><\/span>developed along China\u2019s borders with India, Bhutan and Nepal.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • Last year, satellite images emerged showing a new village called <\/span><\/span><\/span>Pangda<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> built 2-3 km into what Bhutan sees as its land.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • On January 18 2021, another village built 4-5 km into what India sees as its territory in Arunachal came to light via satellite images.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n