Why is China trying to break India's chicken neck?
Satellite image of strategic Doklam area Photograph:( Reuters )
Story highlights
From the perspective of the economy, the corridor is immensely important for the trade between the Indian mainland and the north-eastern states. The roadways and railways near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are connected by the Siliguri corridor
The Siliguri corridor known as India's 'chicken neck' became a crucial corridor after the India-China Doklam crisis in 2017.
Located in West Bengal, the corridor is 60 km long and 20 km wide and connects the North-East with mainland India.
It is not just an important trade route but also an important gateway to South East Asia as well.
The region is surrounded by Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. Tibet's Chumbi valley is just 130 km away from the chicken neck corridor.
The trijunction to India, Nepal and Bhutan is found at the tip of this valley and is known as the Doklam region which has become a standoff point.
Himalayan mountains such as Mount Kanchenjunga are the source of two major rivers known as Teesta and Jaldakha which merge in the Brahmaputra river when they enter Bangladesh.
Also read | India-China standoff: Beijing deploys 100 rocket launchers at high altitude areas
The northeast region of India has a population of 50 million people and mostly Nepali and Bengali immigrants are found.
From the perspective of the economy, the corridor is immensely important for the trade between the Indian mainland and the north-eastern states. It also hosts the only railway freight line between them.
Darjeeling tea and timbre further increase the importance of this region.
The roadways and railways near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are connected by the Siliguri corridor. All essentials are supplied to them through this corridor only.
It is helping India boost its 'Act East Policy' by facilitating connectivity between the Indian mainland, its northeastern states as well as ASEAN countries in Southeast Asia.
The corridor has proved significant in countering illegal immigration, cross-border terrorism, and Islamic radicalisation in the northeastern states.
South-east Asia is notorious for the golden triangle. Organised crime and drug trafficking is prevalent in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
The spread of drug trafficking from these countries to Indian states such as Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh is a major security threat.
By improving the security in the Siliguri corridor, the region can be secured.
Also read | India-China standoff: Indian Army foils China's intrusion bid in Sikkim
Its close proximity to Tibet acts as an advantage to India as it can keep a close eye on China which has constructed several roads and airstrips in the region.
In the situation of war, weapons and troops can be mobilised easily through the Siliguri corridor.
Beijing is investing heavily in the neighbouring countries of India under the disguise of improving its global trade reach for its Belt and Road plan but these countries have become mired in a Chinese debt trap.
China has been stung by criticism, mostly from Western countries, that it loads up poor, developing nations with unsustainable debt they have no hope of paying back, and that it is seeking to use this to leverage political influence.
China says its loans are much welcomed and much needed, and points out that it provides them with no political pre-conditions and gives funds to places that Western donors ignore.
Talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders to resolve a protracted standoff on a stretch of the disputed Himalayan border have not yielded positive results.
Thousands of Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a high-altitude face-off in India's Ladakh region since last year, despite the two militaries holding more than a dozen rounds of talks to defuse the situation.
In February, both sides had agreed to pull back troops from some areas around Pangong Tso, a glacial lake at 14,000 ft (4,270 metres), after prolonged negotiations between military commanders and diplomats of the two sides.
Deployments by the two sides were enhanced after clashes in June 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed when soldiers fought with iron rods and stones in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.
