On Monday, the prime minister of India Narendra Modi announced the opening of the Pakyong Airport, high up in the Himalayan state of Sikkim. The airport will be the first in the region and India’s 100th airport overall. "This kind of big, glossy project fits in with Modi's longstanding image as India's 'development man' and his plans to connect the four corners of the country," Dr Elizabeth Chatterjee, professor of political science at Queen Mary University of London, told ABC News. “It also doesn't hurt that the new airport is only 40 miles away from the international border, where Indian and Chinese troops had a tense standoff over Chinese construction last year," she added. More »