by Ms. S. Swathi Meenakshi*
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He
who holds Tibet dominates the Himalayan piedmont; he who dominates the
Himalayan piedmont threatens the Indian subcontinent and he who threatens the
Indian subcontinent may well have all of South Asia within his reach, and with
it all of Asia.
~
George Ginsburgs and Michael Mathos[i]
Relations between India and China have traditionally
been tenuous. Earlier, the mountainous terrain of the Himalayan ranges, Tibet,
Bhutan and Nepal acted as buffer areas to ease tension between the two Asian
giants. But, recent infrastructure developments along the border raise
questions of concern. China’s build up holds important security implications
for India and adds heat to age old territorial claims. Given this background,
of particular significance is the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
line. This railroad symbolizes China’s sovereignty over Tibet while
establishing its technological prowess in building the highest railroad in the
world[ii].
The railroad will gain ever more strategic significance as it connects hitherto
inaccessible parts of the Tibetan plateau with the ‘Chinese motherland’. This
paper tries to examine the geopolitical[iii]
implications of such developments.