China accelerates construction of bridge across Pangong Tso; satellite images accessed

In the latest development, China has accelerated the construction of a new bridge across the Pangong Lake. The bridge is now over 400 metres long and once completed, will give China a significant military edge in the area where India and China have been in a stand-off in Eastern Ladakh.

The bridge, which is 8 metres wide, lies just south of a Chinese army field base on the North Bank of Pangong where Chinese field hospitals and troop accommodations were seen during the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2020.
Satellite images accessed from January 16 showed that Chinese construction workers were using heavy crane-like equipment to help link the bridge's pillars with concrete slabs upon which the tarmac will be laid. Given the pace of the construction, the bridge could be completed in a few months, though road access to Rutog - the main Chinese military hub in the region - will take longer to complete.

The construction of the bridge across the Pangong, which was first reported by the Republic earlier this month with high-resolution satellite imagery, is an attempt by the PLA to quickly mobilize soldiers to the banks of the Lake. While the new bridge has been constructed in an area held by China for the last 60 years, India has called the construction entirely illegal.

The Ministry of External Affairs has been monitoring the Chinese construction activity and earlier this month when asked about the construction of the bridge, it said, ''This bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under illegal occupation by China for around 60 years now. As you are well aware India has never accepted such illegal occupation.''

The Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Narwane on January 12 said that China is fast pacing the construction of infrastructure along the LAC and India is not only monitoring but also matching upto the construction at the Chinese side. Republic earlier broke the story of the construction of over 200 strucures including two villages inside the  Bhutanese territory with high resolution satellite images. China has also been constructing villages along the LAC close to Arunachal Pradesh to claim it's presence in the area. The Chief of Army Staff also admitted that such construction of the bridge is happening in the disputed area which China had occupied in 1962. Gen Narwane had also added that such disputed construction projects will continue until there is a final resolve on the LAC. Indian Army Chief also reiterated that we are well poised on all our borders including the Northern and Eastern front.

(Image: Maxar Technologies)