India’s Sela Tunnel has driven a wedge between the country and China, at a time when their relations are the tensest they’ve been in decades.
On March 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sela Tunnel, a crucial project constructed at an altitude of over 13,000 feet that would allow India to move troops securely and bolster all-weather connectivity to the Tawang region in the country’s Arunachal Pradesh state.
China has claimed Arunachal Pradesh as a part of “South Tibet,” having fought a war with India over the region. The new tunnel would facilitate troop movement into the Tawang area, where India lost the war to China in 1962.
The disputed border, the Line of Actual Control, runs 2,100 miles long and divides the two Asian giants. It has been at the heart of tensions in the countries’ seven decades of diplomatic relations.
Arun SANKAR/AFP via Getty
Since June 2020, Beijing and New Delhi have been locked in a military standoff that began with their armies clashing in eastern Ladakh. The skirmish led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers.
Prior to the opening of the Sela Tunnel, the movement of India’s troops could be seen from the Chinese side of the border.
The Sela Tunnel, which cost about $99 million to construct, is part of a critical road network that links Tezpur in Assam with Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, reported The Print, an Indian media outlet. Modi laid the foundation stone for the project in 2019, and construction began the following year.
The Sela Tunnel comprises two tunnels that are, respectively, 1,595 meters and 1,003 meters in length. With the Nechiphu Tunnel, the Sela Tunnel forms a vital part of the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road, which runs 197 miles on the Indian side of the border. This road network is essential for ensuring year-round mobility for both defense and civilian vehicles to the remote areas of West Kameng and Tawang, The Print reported.
Historically, access to Tawang was severely restricted during winter months, as the Sela Pass would be closed because of heavy snowfall. The completion of the Sela Tunnel ensures uninterrupted access to the region, irrespective of the season.
China, which protested Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and criticized New Delhi for inaugurating the tunnel in a disputed region, has lodged a diplomatic protest over the visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Newsweek contacted China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India’s Ministry of External Affairs for comment.
The United States has also shown support for India’s stance on Arunachal Pradesh, opposing any attempts by China to advance its territorial claims through incursions or encroachments.
“The United States recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control,” Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the State Department, said on March 20.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticized the U.S. for supporting India’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh, saying, “It is known to all that the United States has consistently spared no efforts to provoke and take advantage of other countries’ conflicts to serve its selfish geopolitical interests.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.