The People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) is building a bridge across the Pangong Tso on its territory in Khurnak, the narrowest part of the lake, according to a report by ‘ThePrint . Defending against a future August 2020 type operation of the Indian Army, which led to the capture of dominating heights on the southern banks of Pangong Tso, the bridge will be built with prefabricated structures, defence and security establishment sources said.
Sources said the bridge, which is under construction, will reduce a 180 km loop from Khurnak to the south banks through Rudok. This would reduce the distance between Khurnak and Rudok from nearly 200 kilometers to about 40-50 kilometers. Pangong Tso, a landlocked lake that is partially in Ladakh and partly in Tibet, has been the site of tension between India and China since May 2020.
China building more roads:
PLA officials have also begun the process of building a road to and from the bridge in order to expedite the deployment of soldiers and materials, the sources explained. Chinese authorities have taken multiple measures to ensure that their movement through that area is faster and that they are able to scale up their presence in a big way, a source revealed explaining why the Chinese are building new roads and a bridge.
As a result of their swift response, the Chinese have initiated several measures to ensure their movement through that area is quicker. In addition, they have the ability to scale their presence in a large way, a source explained. This is why they are building new roads and bridge. While the standoff in that region lasted between September 2020 and mid-2021, the Chinese built a connecting road to the Moldo garrison to circumvent the visibility arc of the Indian soldiers and equipment on top of advantageous heights. With the new construction, the PLA aims to have multiple routes to counter any future operations by the Indian forces in the southern banks.
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China has been building up its infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even during the stand-off, ThePrint reported earlier. The USA carried out multiple infrastructure projects along the LAC with the construction of new roads, tunnels, underground ammunition depots, and induction of new warfighting equipment. India too has built up its infrastructure along the LAC with the construction of new roads, tunnels, and heliports.
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