The strategic Sela tunnel in India and the Sino-Philippine disputes

In March of this year, Indian authorities opened the Sela Tunnel, a critical project in mountainous terrain at an altitude of almost 4,000 metres above sea level. The tunnel will allow India to move troops safely and improve all-weather communication with the Tawang region in Arunachal Pradesh, which is disputed with China. The Chinese authorities consider this state part of “southern Tibet”. The Sela Tunnel is part of the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road, which runs for 300 km on the Indian side of the border. For years, the Sela Pass has been closed during winter due to heavy snowfall, severely restricting access to Tawang.

As part of the Sankalp maritime security operation, which aims to counter Houthi attacks on merchant ships, India has deployed eight submarines in the Arabian Sea. The United States defence partner’s exercises have been ongoing for approximately 100 days, during which they managed to rescue a Barbados-flagged merchant ship and the crew of a hijacked Liberian-flagged ship. The Chinese military has called the Indian Navy’s rescue missions in the Red Sea a publicity stunt.

The Philippines summoned a representative of the Chinese authorities over an incident in the South China Sea. Chinese coast guard units attacked a Philippine merchant ship using water cannons. The confrontation near Second Thomas Shoal left three soldiers injured and a Filipino ship severely damaged. Second Thomas Shoal is the site of repeated confrontations between Chinese and Filipino ships.