Crossing the Mountains of South Asia. Improving the Transport Infrastructures in the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram

South Asia is in the midst of an economic boom, yet paradoxically its growth is the product of international rather than intra-regional surface trade. The barrier of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram range creates enormous problems for the construction of roads, railways and pipelines. Nevertheless recently the countries within the region, led by China, have been investing heavily in developing their overland transport networks. In addition to roads and railways, gas and oil pipelines are also being planned. Alain Lamballe describes here the projects to extend these networks that are now under way or envisaged for the future. He stresses the economic and strategic importance of these efforts. Improvements in the links between China and the various countries of South Asia will indeed allow them to increase their volume of trade with each other (for the moment trade is mainly seaborne trade). This development will be a mixed blessing for Southeast Asian nations, Lamballe explains, because they will have to cope with a massive influx of Chinese goods.