China builds camps, helipads at Aksai Chin Region: Report
2 min read 06 Jun 2023, 08:35 AM ISTChina has increased infrastructure work at Akasai Chin, building new outposts, weatherproof camps, and a heliport with hangars and short runways for helicopters and possibly drones, according to a report by UK-based think tank Chatham House.
PremiumChina has ramped up infrastructure work at Akasai Chin, according to a report by a UK-based think tank. China has established an extensive ecosystem to support troop deployments in the disputed Aksai Chin region, Chatham House said in its report citing satellite images.
Based on satellite images since October 2022, China has ramped up infrastructure on their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the start of the military standoff with India in 2020 May.
The images showed that Aksai Chin has "expanded roads, outposts and modern weatherproof camps equipped with parking areas, solar panels, and even helipads".
Besides, the Chinese side is also building a new heliport in the disputed territory that comprises 18 hangars and short runways for use by helicopters and possibly drones which will "significantly enhance the operational capabilities" of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in and around Aksai Chin.
Last week, Planet Labs also shared images of China's expansion of airfields along the LAC since 2020.
In the past, similar reports have emerged where China has upgraded the infrastructure for its army near the LAC.
In 2020, Chinese troops attacked Indian Army at Galwan Valley in which 20 soldiers were killed. Since then, the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated further. The border standoff has taken India-China relations to a six-decade low.
The External Affairs Ministry and other top leadership in India have maintained that ties cannot be normalised until steps are taken to address the “abnormal" situation on the LAC.
According to the UK-based think tank, a number of PLA bases connected by roads “can now be seen leading up from the main standoff site".
There is also some major activity that can be seen at the Depsang plains, one of the remaining friction points in the Ladakh sector of the LAC.
At Raki Nala, a river valley south of the Depsang plains, Chinese outposts “are visible, potentially able to block Indian patrols in the area".
And at Pangong Lake in Ladakh, a bridge is nearing completion and when finished, it 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.
As per the report, the new highway will run the length of Aksai Chin through the Depsang Plains, south past Galwan Valley, and towards Pangong Tso.
The report suggested that Indian armed forces will now have to match a large-scale presence of China along the border with Aksai Chin, perhaps for years to come.
