China ramps up military infra at disputed Aksai Chin border with India: Report

China has ramped up infrastructure at the disputed Aksai Chin border to facilitate smooth troop deployment near the Indian border, a UK-based think tank has said in its report.

The report from Chatham House, which is based on an extensive study of satellite images taken in the six months since October 2022, states that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has built a network of outposts, camps, and expanded roads on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the start of a military standoff with India in May 2020.

“The satellite images show expanded roads, outposts and modern weatherproof camps equipped with parking areas, solar panels and even helipads” the report from Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, states.

Moreover, the Chinese military is building a new heliport that comprises 18 hangars and short runways for use by helicopters and possibly drones which will "significantly enhance the operational capabilities" of the PLA in and around Aksai Chin.

The study by the UK-based think tank corroborates earlier reports about China upgrading its infrastructure near the border.

Planet Labs, a US imaging company, last week also shared images of China's expansion of airfields along the LAC since 2020.

Indian defence minister, Chinese counterpart  hold ‘frank’ discussions on strained India-China ties

Meanwhile, the UK-based think tank further said that a number of PLA bases connected by roads “can now be seen leading up from the main standoff site".

Apart from Aksai China, the think tank also noted major activity at the Depsang plains—one of the remaining friction points in Ladakh near the LAC.

The report said the Chinese outposts were visible at Raki Nala, a river valley south of the Depsang plains, that can potentially block Indian patrols in the area.

At Pangong Lake in Ladakh, the think tank found that PLA is completing the construction of a bridge when finished, will allow the rapid deployment of Chinese forces from PLA’s Rutog military garrison to mountain ridges overlooking the water body. The proposed Chinese G695 highway, intended to link Xinjiang with Tibet, is due to be completed in 2035.

The report further notes that the new highway will run the length of Aksai Chin through the Depsang Plains, south past Galwan Valley, and towards Pangong Tso.

India-China ties at inflection point

Last week, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged that the country is facing a "very complicated challenge" from China, and that steps have been taken by the government to ensure no attempts are made to unilaterally change the status quo in the border areas.

He said that this challenge has been "very visible" for the last three years in border areas, adding that both nations need to find an equilibrium in the relationship, however, it cannot be achieved just on the terms proposed by the other party.

“If peace and tranquillity between the two nations is disturbed, their relationship will not remain unaffected,” the minister added in his speech on 'Modi's India: A Rising Power' at the Anant National University.

"When I talk about big powers, of course, we have a particular challenge from China. That challenge is a very complicated challenge, but in the last three years it has been particularly visible in the border areas," Jaishankar stated while referring to the incursions of China in eastern Ladakh.

(With inputs from agencies)

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