Union Minister of State for Home Kieran Rijiju pushed for the re-opening of the ‘Stillwell road’, as a trade route from Assam to China’s Yunnan province. “When the Stillwell Road was closed in 1962 [after the Sino-Indian war], the movement of border trade was also restricted. Re-opening this road would open up numerous options,” he said.
The statement is significant as the government has so far been silent on progress of the ‘BCIM’ corridor that runs from India to China via Bangladesh and Myanmar, and could run over the ‘Stillwell’ route built during the Second World War.
The issue was raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to India, but only found a passing reference in the India-China joint statement. Tensions over the LAC between India and China since then have also slowed progress on discussions over the trade route.
The Minister, speaking at Pune’s Symbiosis University on the Modi Government’s ‘Look East Act East’ policy, stressed the need for closer integration of the States of the north-east with the rest of the country.
