The report also said that construction on four of those new helipads began only after the current border clash broke out in eastern Ladakh in early May.
Full coverage – LAC deadlock
“The Doklam crisis of 2017 appears to have changed China’s strategic goals, with China more than doubling its total number of air bases, air defense positions and helipads near the Indian border in the past three years,” he said.
The report prepared by security expert Sim Tack and released on Tuesday said that China’s building initiative projects a future military capability that will see long-term regional tensions with India sustained beyond recent clashes between the two countries.
The report says that India’s recent acquisition of the Rafale fighter jet has started to bring him some relief, but it will take more time to see that domestic production and foreign acquisitions really rebuild the strength of India’s air force. .
He noted that the ongoing escalation in the Ladakh region has begun to formulate an Indian response to the broader strategic threat posed by China’s ongoing military infrastructure campaign.
The report titled ‘A Military Push Explains China’s Intention Along the Indian Border’ analyzed that the rapid expansion of permanent Chinese military infrastructure points to Beijing’s intentions spanning a longer period of time than the current border clashes. and recent.
“Indian and Chinese forces clashed in the Doklam region in June 2017. Since then, China has started to build at least 13 completely new military positions near its borders with India, including three air bases, five permanent defense positions. air and five heliports, “he added. the report said.
He said China’s strategy aims to confront India with an “insurmountable” challenge in territorial disputes by relying on extensive support capabilities that give Beijing tremendous ability to mobilize forces in disputed border areas.
The report noted that such an approach is similar to China’s strategy in the South China Sea, where the build-up of permanent defense facilities supports China’s localized military superiority and significantly increases the potential cost of military opposition to China’s maritime claims. Beijing.
“By applying this same strategy on the Indian border, China intends to discourage Indian resistance or military action during future border disputes by ostentatiously demonstrating its ability and intention to engage in military confrontations.”
Troops from India and China participated in a 73-day standoff in Triple junction Doklam in 2017, even sparking fears of a conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Tensions eased after several rounds of talks.
The armies of the two countries have been locked in a fierce clash in eastern Ladakh since May 5 following a violent clash in Pangong Tso zone.
The current dispute is turning out to be the largest military confrontation between the two sides since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
A significant portion of Beijing’s recent infrastructure developments is aimed squarely at strengthening its ability to project air power along the entire Indian border at a time when New Delhi itself is trying to rebuild its air power, according to the report. .
“While these new developments are geographically focused on the region of current tensions, Chinese activity across the entire Indian border will likely drive future expansions of Indian military infrastructure near the disputed borders in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.
The report said New Delhi will continue to improve its overall military capabilities, particularly in those fields where there are capacity gaps relative to China, such as air power, ground air defense and missile forces.
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