Following the June 2020 clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, China stepped up its military presence and infrastructure build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to a new report by the Pentagon titled 'Military and Security Developments involving the People's Republic of China'.
The U.S. Congress, the Department of Defense said there was an increased deployment of Chinese troops along the LAC in 2022 and is likely to continue through 2023. The annual report touches on wide-ranging issues related to some of the most important developments in China's national security over the past year.
India and China have been locked in a military face-off in Eastern Ladakh since early 2020 when Chinese soldiers entered Indian territory and clashed with Indian personnel. Several thousands of personnel along with war-waging equipment such as artillery, tanks, and fighter aircraft were rushed into the region after the initial clashes. The situation escalated on June 15, 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers and unspecified number of Chinese soldiers were killed in a clash at Galway Valley. Since then, both India and China have deployed additional troops in the region.
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"Since early May 2020, sustained tensions along the India-China border have dominated the Western Theater Command's attention. Differing perceptions between India and the PRC regarding border demarcations along the LAC, combined with recent infrastructure construction on both sides, led to multiple clashes, an ongoing standoff, and military buildups along the shared border," the report notes.
It adds that China's Western Theater Command implemented large-scale mobilisation and deployment along LAC in response to the Galwan Valley clash that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers. While both countries have initiated negotiations since then, they "made minimal progress as both sides resisted losing perceived advantages on the border," the report notes.
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Beijing's infrastructure build-up
The report said China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal and will probably have over 1,000 warheads by 2030. Further, China probably completed the construction of its three new silo fields in 2022, which has at least 300 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos.
Along the LAC, China has developed underground storage facilities near Doklam, new roads in all three sectors of the LAC, new villages in disputed areas in neighboring Bhutan, a second bridge over Pangong Lake, a dual-purpose airport near the center sector, and multiple helipads, the report noted.
In terms of military deployments, China deployed one border regiment, supported by two divisions of Xinjiang and Tibet Military Districts with four combined arms brigades (CAB) in reserve in the western sector of the LAC in 2022. Further, as many as three light-to-medium CABs were deployed in the eastern sector from other theater commands and an additional three CABs in the central sector of the LAC. "A majority of the deployed forces remain in place along the LAC," the report noted.
The Pentagon report also cautioned that the Chinese Navy, already the largest in the world, is growing further.
