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China-India relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China-India border: Beijing’s new highway plans near disputed territory expected to spark concern in Delhi

  • G695 highway is planned to run north of the Line of Actual Control and near or through hotly contested areas
  • ‘China intends to control far-flung areas for the swift movement of troops’, according to observer who says India is building up infrastructure on its side too

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Relations between China and India over their disputed border have barely improved since a deadly clash in June 2020. China’s plans to build a new highway near hotly contested border areas is expected to draw ire from New Delhi. Photo: CCTV / AFP
Laura Zhou
China plans to build a new highway close to its disputed border areas with India, as part of Beijing’s efforts to strengthen its strategic position and project its power, but the move is expected to draw concern from its South Asian neighbour.
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The highway, running from Lhunze county in Tibet to Mazha in Xinjiang, is among 345 construction plans proposed in the new national programme, which aims to build a total of 461,000km (286,400 miles) of highway and motorway by 2035, as China seeks to revive its faltering economy and boost consumer spending through infrastructure investment.

Under the plan released last week, the highway known as G695 is expected to run through southern Tibet’s Cona county – which lies immediately north of the disputed India-Tibet border demarcated by the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – Kamba county, host of a noted military camp, and Gyirong county near the border with Nepal.

It will also go through Burang county between Tibet, Nepal and India as well as Zanda county in Ngari prefecture, parts of which are held by India.

Details of the new construction remain unclear, but the highway, when completed, may also go near hotly contested areas such as the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley and Hot Springs on the LAC.

06:24

Explained: the history of China’s territorial disputes

Explained: the history of China’s territorial disputes
A military stand-off between China and India was triggered following a clash at the Galwan Valley two years ago that left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead and plunged relations to a low point that persists today.
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