China is rapidly improving infantry weaponry and logistical support for its border troops stationed along the Royal Line of Control (LAC) amid continuing border tensions with India in eastern Ladakh, state media reported.
The Western Theater Command (WAC) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), under which the long and disputed border between India and China falls, is ordering new and precision weapons, improved winter clothing and permanent barracks for its troops.
The improvements come against the backdrop of the months-long clash in eastern Ladakh, which has seen both sides amassing troops and equipment throughout LAC.
India has consistently opposed the presence of PLA troops in LAC. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said last week that it presents a critical security challenge for India.
“Obviously, it has had a very profound public impact and a very important political impact and has left the relationship deeply disturbed,” he said, referring to the large number of Chinese forces deployed at friction points in LAC. “I don’t have a reasonable explanation … from them [Chinese] on this matter, “he said, adding that the concentration of Chinese troops on the disputed border represented a” critical security challenge. “
However, it seems clear that the PLA is equipping and preparing for the long term in areas of Tibet and Xinjiang, which are witnessing some of the harshest winters in the world.
By all indications, even if the current border friction resolves and the troops withdraw, even partially, the PLA troops are unlikely to fully withdraw as they are expected to be prepared for the winter cold.
In addition to heavy artillery, the PLA focuses on arming its soldiers with light and precision infantry weapons.
The news comes as the two sides will hold the eighth round of diplomatic and military talks next week on the disengagement in the Ladakh theater.
Read: LAC is the new LoC | HT Editorial
Earlier this week, the PLA’s Tibet Military Command announced that its soldiers, especially from special operations forces, will receive new QBU-191 precision rifles with a 30-round magazine and long-range variable magnification.
The new weapon is expected to replace the QBU-88 sniper rifle currently used by troops, state media reported.
The extreme cold of the Tibetan Plateau will help test the rifle’s performance in extreme environments, collecting first-hand data for future optimization, state media reported.
Earlier this month, the Tibet command also tested, for the first time, the latest “truck-based rocket-propelled multiple mine launchers” at high altitude.
The drills were held at more than 14,000 feet, state media said.
Not just weapons, the PLA is also getting enough capes to keep its soldiers warm for months to come.
On Tuesday, the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the PLA, reported that the powerful Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, has commissioned specially made quilts, tents, underwear and boots for Chinese border troops.
These new clothing sets can withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius.
A Chinese clothing manufacturer that makes winter clothing for members of China’s national mountaineering team, including those climbing Mount Everest, has developed the new quilts and tents for PLA soldiers.
“The clothing supplier urgently developed and produced a batch of new cold-proof quilts for the border troops on the plateau. This batch of materials is specially designed for military officers and soldiers … good heat insulation effect and general lightweight material. They will be delivered to front-line officers and soldiers in the near future, providing a strong guarantee to complete various training and service tasks in extreme cold conditions, ”the PLA Daily report said.
In addition to tents and sleeping bags, soldiers will soon have new cold-resistant down jackets, boots and insulated underwear to withstand the harsh winter.
The new PLA soldier barracks in the remote Ngari area of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) at nearly 15,000 feet come equipped with new heat-conserving technologies and are built to ensure more oxygen supply for the troops.
“While facilitating the daily life of officers and soldiers as much as possible, the new generation of barracks on the plateau also enhances the function of training and preparation for war,” the report adds.
Recently, the PLA Army Engineering University developed and delivered “ready-to-build” thermal shelters for border troops.
Shelters comprising bedrooms, dining rooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, warehouses, microgrids and heating equipment are expected to operate at temperatures as low as -55 ° C and at an altitude of more than 15,000 feet, the PLA Daily reported.
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