China, Pakistan push ahead with US$6.8 billion rail project in region disputed with India

Beijing also announces the opening of a 118km stretch of the ‘Friendship Highway’ that will run from Islamabad to Kashgar

Strengthening of ties comes a year after New Delhi revoked constitutional rights giving Kashmir greater independence

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The “Friendship Highway” runs from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad to Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang region. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00am, 9 Aug 2020Updated: 3:50pm, 12 Aug 2020

Corrected [1:51pm, 12 Aug, 2020]

[1:51pm, 12 Aug, 2020]
An earlier version of this story reported incorrectly that the Friendship Highway will pass through areas of Kashmir in the Indian state of Ladakh that are claimed by both New Delhi and Islamabad. It will pass through areas of Kashmir in the Pakistan-administered region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

China and Pakistan have increased their cooperation on infrastructure development in Kashmir, where the two countries have individual territorial disputes with India.

On Wednesday, Islamabad approved a US$6.8 billion dollar upgrade to a rail line in the region as part of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Also this week, Beijing announced the opening of a 118km (73-mile) stretch of road from Thakot to Havelian as part of a larger road project that runs from Islamabad to Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang region.

The new road runs close to India’s westernmost territorial claims in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Once completed, the so-called Friendship Highway will pass through areas of Kashmir in the Pakistan-administered region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The road opening is evidence of the close relationship between China and Pakistan and comes a year after Delhi upset its two neighbours by revoking constitutional rights that gave greater independence to Kashmir.

“India is quite nervous about China and Pakistan transport projects,” said Wang Dehua, an expert on South Asia at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies.

“The strategic position of the region is extremely important and the highway project shows it.