China’s New Strategic Highway

Context: Recently, China has completed construction of a strategically significant highway through the world’s deepest canyon in Tibet along the Brahmaputra river.

About the new highway

• This enabled greater access to remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India.
• The highway took seven years to complete and passes through the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet.
• This is the “second significant passageway” to Medog county that borders Arunachal.
• It is directly connecting the Pad township in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog county.
• The highway will reduce the distance between Nyingchi city and Medog from 346 km to 180 km and will cut the travel time by eight hours.
• Indian officials said this land has been under China’s effective control since 1959 and there were military barracks there earlier.

Concerns for India

• The highway is also expected to play a key role in the surveying of and planning for the mega Yarlung Zangbo hydro-power project that China is planning to build at the canyon in the same Medog county, triggering unease among downstream countries like India.
• A highway connecting the border will largely improve the efficiency and convenience of military personnel and material transportation and logistical supplies in the border area.

Steps Taken by India

• India will spend 10% funds of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) only to improve the infrastructure along the China border.
• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructed the Daporijo bridge over Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh.
• It links roads leading upto the LAC between India and China.
• Foundation of a tunnel at Nechiphu in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has been laid down which will shorten travel time for troops till the LAC through Tawang, which China claims to be its territory.
• A tunnel is being constructed under the Se La pass in Arunachal Pradesh which connects Tawang to the rest of Arunachal and Guwahati.
• The state government of Arunachal Pradesh has advocated selection of 10 census towns along the India-China border as pilot projects for infrastructure development in order to stop people living along its international borders, specifically with China, from migrating to faraway urban centres in the State.
• Sisseri River Bridge, located at lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, connects Dibang Valley and Siang.
• In 2019, the Indian Air Force inaugurated resurfaced runway at India’s easternmost Village-Vijaynagar (Changlang district) in Arunachal Pradesh.
• In 2019, the Indian Army conducted exercise ‘HimVijay’ in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with its newly created Integrated Battle Groups (IBG).
• Bogibeel bridge, which is India’s longest road-rail bridge connecting Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh was inaugurated in 2018.
• It will facilitate quicker movement of troops and equipment to areas near the India-China border.

About Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon

• It originates from Mount Kailash and running east for about 1700 km drains a northern section of the Himalayas.
• The canyon bends around Mount Namcha Barwa.
• It is in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and around the highest peak of east Himalayas-Namjiagbarwa peak, forming a huge horseshoe-shaped turn.
• It's an unusual canyon and the biggest moisture channel of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet.
• It is the longest valley with it length of 496 kilo meters. The valley is home to varieties of species, due to its wide range of sea levels.
• It is subtropical climate under 1000 meters’ sea level suitable for diversified tropical indigenous forest.
• The climate for the height of the valley varying from 1000 to 2400 is mountainous subtropical with abundant rainfall, where rare and endemic coniferous forests can be found on the higher level.
• The climate for the height of the valley varying from 2400 to 3000 is mountainous temperate type.