‘PLA is firmly ensconced in Aksai Chin, looks set to remain there’: Chatham House

Satellite imagery of Aksai Chin shows China has expanded roads, outposts, installed modern weatherproof camps equipped with parking areas, solar panels, apart from helipads, a report from UK think-tank Chatham House said.

As per the report, the analysis was based on satellite images taken across six months since October 2022.

Also, there have been several indications that since the military standoff with India in May 2020, China has ramped up infrastructure on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“The PLA is now firmly ensconced in Aksai Chin and looks set to remain there,” the report said.

It further said that a heliport is being built in disputed territory from the front lines near Aksai Chin Lake.

“The heliport comprises 18 hangars and short runways intended for use by helicopters and possibly drones, which would significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in and around Aksai Chin,” the report said.

Tensions continue to simmer

The report by Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also highlighted within Aksai Chin region, Chinese activity continues significantly at the Depsang Plains, which is one of the remaining friction points in the Ladakh sector of the LAC.

“Patrols seemingly intend to put pressure on, and impede the development of, a strategic Indian airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldi, which serves as a logistics and transport base for Indian operations at high altitudes and is the highest airstrip in the world,” the report said.

Daulat Beg Oldi “crucially supports Indian units arranged against China and Pakistan,” it added.

In Raki Nala, a river valley south of the contested Depsang Plains, Chinese outposts are visible, potentially able to block Indian patrols in the area.

At Pangong Tso, a saline lake surrounded by jagged peaks and unforgiving ridgelines, a bridge is nearing completion which when finished will allow the rapid deployment of Chinese forces from the PLA’s Rutog military garrison to the contested mountain ridges overlooking the lake.

As per the report, the second development relates to the proposed Chinese G695 highway which once ready is expected to link Xinjiang with Tibet. It is due to be completed in 2035 and “will run the length of Aksai Chin through the Depsang Plains, south past Galwan Valley and towards Pangong Tso.”

The G695 highway will represents a strategic artery that will connect the contested region to mainland China and is expected to provide the PLA a new supply route.

The report said that though the reasons behind China’s sudden move across the LAC are still hotly debated, given the opaque nature of Chinese policymaking under Xi Jinping, the true motives are probably only known in the highest echelons.

“For India, this means its armed forces will now have to match a large-scale and probably semi-permanent Chinese presence along the border with Aksai Chin, perhaps for years to come,” the report said.

Significance of Aksai Chin

For New Delhi, Aksai Chin is part of Ladakh, but Beijing claims it to be part of Xinjiang and Tibet.

Aksai Chin is home to the Galwan Valley, where 20 Indian soldiers died in a clash with the Chinese troops in June 2020.

The border standoff has taken India-China relations to a six-decade low. Top leadership in India has maintained that ties with China cannot be normalised until steps are taken to address the “abnormal” situation on the LAC.

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