According to available satellite images, China has started work on a possible road network around a newly constructed bridge on the southern bank of Pangong Lake near the Line of Actual Control.
Satellite images show that China has started work on a possible road network along the Line of Actual Control.
China has started work on a possible road network around the newly constructed bridge on the southern bank of Pangong Tso near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
Although currently available low-resolution satellite images from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Services do not clearly show the preparation phase of the new construction in detail, the images are clear enough to see site clearance and potential road work. south of the bridge. new changes were first Twitter user Damien Simon discovered this on Monday.
Earlier this year, India Today reported that The bridge was completed in January.
Satellite images, independently sourced by India Today, confirm that the new land formation took place significantly during the last two weeks of April. Earlier, the Center had termed the construction of the bridge by China as ‘illegal’.
“The government has taken note of a bridge being built by China over Pangong Lake. The bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under Chinese illegal occupation since 1962. The Indian government has never accepted this illegal occupation,” Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan told Parliament earlier this year.
The new Chinese infrastructure is believed to be a key part of the Chinese government’s efforts to prevent a situation similar to August 2020, when the Indian armed forces conducted a surprise operation by securing control of key positions on the heights of Kailash.
The standoff at the southern end was the closest as Indian and Chinese forces stood less than 200 meters from each other.
The new infrastructure, including a new bridge connected via the upcoming road network, is expected to reduce the distance and, therefore, the response time the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will need while relocating its assets from Rutog.
Analysis of satellite imagery shows that the construction work of the bridge started from the northern bank of the lake in September last year.
Despite several rounds of military talks at the Corps Commander level and the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister and State Counselor Wang Yi to Delhi, tensions in eastern Ladakh have not subsided completely.
India is expected to participate in the Brazil-Russia-India-China hosted by China-