Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday directed officials to expedite the construction of the railway line near Arunachal Pradesh along the Indo-China border.

The railway line will connect China’s southwest Sichuan province to Linzhi in Tibet.

Linzhi, also known as Nyingchi, is located near Arunachal Pradesh along the Indo-China border.

Jinping said the US$47.8 billion railway project would play a key role in safeguarding stability in the border areas, says a media report.

After the Qinghai-Tibet railway project, the Sichuan-Tibet railway line will be the second railway line up to Tibet.

This railway line will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, according to the Chinese official media.

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the world’s most geologically active areas.

The Sichuan-Tibet railway line starting from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, will pass through Ya’an and enter Tibet via Qamdo.

It is expected that the Sichuan-Tibet railway line will shorten the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa to 13 hours from 48 hours.

The dispute between India and China continues over the international border that covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border between the two neighbouring countries.