In this Sept. 14, 2018 file photo, an Indian army truck crosses the Chang Pass near Pangong Lake in India’s Ladakh region. (AP)
This heliport is apparently almost equidistant from the two sites where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is developing surface-to-air missile installations.
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India and China accused each other on Monday of military provocation on their disputed border with the Himalayas, where a deadly confrontation broke out in June, even as the commanders of the two sides held talks aimed at easing tensions.
China’s military said Indian troops crossed the border Monday near Pangong Tso, a lake at 4,200 meters (13,500 feet), and engaged in an “open provocation and caused the border situation to become tense.”
“The Chinese military is taking the necessary countermeasures,” the regional command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement, accusing India of “gravely violating China’s territorial sovereignty.”
A satellite image shared by the open source intelligence analyst, who tweets as @detresfa, shows a construction at the triple junction of the borders of India, Bhutan and China, at a distance of about 100 km from Doka La (Doka pass ) and Naku La (Naku Pass).
The construction is said to be a helipad that China is building in close proximity to two new air defense positions covering sensitive stretches of the disputed border in the Doklam and Sikkim sectors.
This heliport is apparently almost equidistant from the two sites where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is developing surface-to-air missile installations.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the new missile facilities are located approximately 50 km from Naku La (Naku Pass), where troops from the two countries had met on May 9, and Doka La (Doka Pass), near the Naku Plateau. Doklam that was the scene of a 73 one-day military clash between India and China in 2017. Four Indian and seven Chinese soldiers were injured in the clash in Naku La, the second such incident since the current clash began in early may.
On Monday, India’s Defense Ministry said Chinese troops “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” in eastern Ladakh over the weekend.
Military commanders of the two sides held talks on Monday in a new attempt to ease tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors, who fought a border war in 1962 and have staged regular high-altitude clashes since then.
China did not confirm Saturday’s incident, but the Foreign Ministry said its troops “have always strictly adhered to” the unofficial border known as the Royal Line of Control.
On June 15, troops from both sides fought hand-to-hand combat in Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. China acknowledged the casualties but did not provide figures.
The two sides blame each other for the recent clashes and the two armies have since dumped tens of thousands of troops into the region. The military and diplomatic talks are apparently stalled.
Mass accumulation of troops
Pangong Tso is one of several hotspots where troops have concentrated since June. “Indian troops anticipated this PLA activity on the southern shore of Pangong Tso Lake, took steps to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change the facts on the ground,” said the Indian Defense Ministry.
Senior officials gathered at a border post near the scene of the clash on Monday, he added. According to Indian military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Indian troops pushed back Chinese troops that crossed the Line of Control.
“PLA soldiers entered our area near the southern shore of Pangong, but our soldiers were prepared and quickly pushed them back without violence,” said a source. “They tried to come back several hours later, but we stood our ground. There has been no such confrontation in this area in the past.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said Chinese troops “have always strictly adhered to the Royal Line of Control and have never crossed it.” “Border troops from both sides have maintained communication on issues on the ground,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference.
Amid calls to boycott Chinese products, India has stepped up economic pressure on China since the June battle and repeatedly warned that relations would suffer unless its troops withdrew.
India has banned at least 49 Chinese-owned apps, including the TikTok video platform, froze Chinese companies without contracts, and withheld Chinese goods at customs posts. China has complained about the action and warned that Indian consumers will suffer.
(With contributions from AFP)
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