India moves mountains to build military road to China border

China's foreign ministry said the trip would gravely damage border stability

On the near-vertical slopes of the eastern Himalayas, workers are blasting and cutting treacherous rock faces to build a top-priority military asset: a 34-mile road to the country’s disputed border with China.

Far away in the capital New Delhi-a six-day journey by foot, road, rail and air-Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office is monitoring their progress as he doubles down on a billion-dollar infrastructure plan in this contested region to strengthen India’s hand against its powerful neighbor.

India is accelerating work on strategic roads to be able to move troops and supplies to the border faster and deploy sophisticated weapons if