As China continues to occupy Indian territory in Eastern Ladakh, the Chinese Peoples' Liberation Airforce is learnt to have made at least 10 airbases near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said a news report.
The news report suggests that more than 10 airbases are have been constructed and others being revamped near Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. These developments suggest that the theory by Indian strategists that the Chinese are using the ongoing talks to consolidate their positions in the illegally occupied zones in Ladakh.
"Intelligence reports suggest the Chinese have built at least 10 new airbases along the LAC in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh. This is very serious considering the 16-month-old border standoff in eastern Ladakh," quoted The Telegraph one of the officers as saying.
China looking to establish a new Status Quo at the LAC
It is to be noted that the standoff in Hot Springs and the Depsang Plains continues, while "partial" disengagements have taken place in the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, and Gogra – with both sides pulling back by an equal distance within what India perceives its line.
Critiques have argued that this means India has relinquished more territory while the Chinese stay within India's stated borders. The Chinese are alleged to be entrenched 18 kilometers within India-claimed boundaries on the strategically important Depsang Plains.
Moreover, China is attempting to establish a new status quo at the LAC, claiming ownership of the region it has occupied since May of last year.
Meanwhile, amid the border impasse in eastern Ladakh, India, and China have advanced many infrastructure projects along the Line of Actual Control, including the construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels. China, on the other hand, is rapidly constructing border infrastructure in comparison to India.
Both sides have gathered personnel and equipment at elevations of 14,000 feet and higher, and have placed 50,000 troops each along the LAC in Ladakh, backed by artillery, tanks, and missile systems. Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu, and Kashmir make up the five states that make up the 3,488-kilometer border with China.
