Chinese troops enter Sikkim sector, destroyed two bunkers

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/630747/pla-says-beef-up-patrols.html

China's military today said it will beef up the presence of troops and patrols to protect "every inch" of its territory in Dokalam but was evasive on the construction of the road which was stopped by Indian troops, leading to a 73-day standoff.

India and China on Monday ended their standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing their troops from the area, just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit.

"The Chinese military will continue to carry out its missions and responsibilities, beef up patrols and troops stationed there and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security," Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for the Chinese defence ministry, said in his first interaction with the media after the end of the standoff.

He, however, was evasive about People's Liberation Army's move to build the road close to the strategic Chicken Neck area in Dokalam which prompted the Indian troops to intervene and stop its construction.

Bhutan, which claims sovereignty over the area, protested to China for building the road on Bhutanese territory.

"In the light of the changes in the landscape we have made an adjustment in our deployment," he said, without elaborating.

"The Chinese side will continue to patrol the Dong Long (Dokalam) area for a long period of time to better guard our border and improve the living and working conditions of the military and civilians living in the area," Ren said.

"We have long built infrastructure construction and including building of roads. In future, we will continue to make a plan for infrastructure construction taking into consideration various factors including weather conditions," he said, without elaborating about plans to build the road.

China has tried to highlight the Indian troop's withdrawal while remaining silent about the fate of the road which was the primary objection for India.

Ren also rubbished speculative reports in social media claiming that China promised India huge loans for the withdrawal of the troops.

"On your question about China providing loans to India to withdraw troops, we have checked with the relevant authorities of the government and such reports are pure fabrication," he said.

Claiming that "Dokalam is China's inherent territory" disregarding Bhutan's claims, Ren said, "every inch of the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland cannot be lost. Chinese armed forces will carry out the sacred mission safeguarding territorial integrity and national sovereignty and protect every inch of the land in Dokalam."

He also put up a lengthy defence about how Chinese military handled the standoff - regarded as the worst between the two countries since the 1962 war.

On the incident at the Pangong lake in Ladakh, where troops on both sides scuffled and pelted stones at each other, he said, "the Indian side should enforce strict discipline on the border defence troops and abide by the agreements and consensus reached by the two sides so as to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border."

China said earlier that it lodged a protest to India on the incident.

The "military-to-military relationship between India and China is an important component of the overall bilateral relationship between the two countries," he said.

"The defence establishments and armed forces should strengthen strategic communication to avoid misjudgement and misunderstanding. But such kind of healthy development requires efforts from both sides," he added.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lea...hinese-mind/article19595813.ece?homepage=true


Any belief that China has been deterred by India’s firm riposte at Doklam could be misplaced
Just when the stand-off between India and China over the Doklam plateau threatened to go the way of the 1986-1987 Sumdorong Chu incident (Arunachal Pradesh), the two sides agreed to step back and disengage, thus avoiding a confrontation. The Indian side has pulled back its personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary, while China has agreed to make ‘necessary adjustments and deployment’ on its part. It is unclear, however, whether China will patrol the region, which it claims to have been doing earlier. Road construction will not continue for the present.

Behind the scenes, quiet diplomacy by the two sides, no doubt, led to the defusing of what could have been a serious crisis. China’s interest in Doklam is not of recent origin and has a long history. Those on either side of the divide currently claiming victory must, hence, pause to think what the future holds. Jumping to conclusions at this point could amount to ‘missing the wood for the trees’.

India’s actions in Doklam are easy to discern, viz. going to the help of a treaty partner in its time of need, a decision which incidentally has security ramifications for India. China’s reasons are more complex and labyrinthine but, nevertheless, cannot be easily wished away.

To savour victory without understanding the factors at work would be a serious mistake. Going into the entire gamut of Sino-Indian relations to try to decipher what prompted China to moderate its stand after weeks of high decibel propaganda may not provide all the answers we seek.

To begin with, China and India have a kind of competitive coexistence. While professing friendship, both sides nurse a mutual suspicion of each other — at times prompting several degrees of alienation. Both countries remain wary of each other’s intentions and actions. Yet, and despite the long-time rivalry between the two countries, we may need to look elsewhere for an explanation.

Understanding the way the Chinese mind works is, hence, important. The Chinese mind tends to be relational, i.e. dictated by context and relationship, and its methodology tends to be obtuse. When the Chinese state that they have halted road building in the disputed Doklam area, while adding that they may reconsider the decision after taking into account ‘different factors’, what China means is that it is willing to wait to implement its decision, but at a time of its choosing when an opportunity exists for a settlement suited to its plans. Little finality can, therefore, be attached to any of China’s actions.

Conflict avoidance
Any belief, hence, that China has been deterred by India’s firm riposte at Doklam could be misplaced. Since the China-Vietnam conflict in 1980, China has avoided getting into any outright conflict. It has preferred attrition — a protracted campaign to secure a relative advantage — to forceful intervention.

By stepping back from a confrontation with India over a minor issue at this time, what it had in mind were two significant events, viz. the BRICS summit in China in September and the forthcoming 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Also, it possibly believes that this would help China dilute global perceptions about its aggressive designs.

This may not be as far-fetched as it may seem. China is playing for higher stakes in a globalised world. For instance, on the South China Sea, it has preferred to employ confidence-building measures to deal with the U.S. while awaiting a more opportune moment to assert its claims.

China is even seeking more opportunities for cooperation, rather than confrontation, with the U.S. on trade matters. In the case of the U.S., China believes that relations between the two are adequately multilayered, providing scope for mitigating areas of mutual benefit.

The BRICS summit and the 19th Party Congress both have high priority for China today. Nothing will be permitted to disrupt either event. Extraneous factors would not be allowed to affect this situation. For President Xi Jinping, presiding over the BRICS Summit at this juncture will help consolidate his informal leadership of the group. As the undisputed leader of BRICS, China believes it can take a signal step towards global leadership.

China is currently seeking to reshape the regional and international order, and is keen to fine-tune its ‘Great Power diplomacy’. It, hence, needs to be seen as preferring peace over conflict. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a potent instrument in this direction, but needs a peaceful environment to succeed. Limited wars or conflicts, even with the possibility of successful outcomes, would damage China’s peaceful image globally. Active power projection could at best provide a pyrrhic victory when the goal China has set is much higher.

The 19th Party Congress is even more important from President Xi’s point of view. It is intended to sustain his legacy and leave his stamp on the Party in the mould of Chairman Mao. To achieve comprehensive success, he needs peace to achieve his target. Till then everything else will need to wait.

This is again a delicate moment for China on the economic planes. It needs to redress the economic imbalance between its coastal regions and the hinterland States. One stated objective of the BRI is linking these regions with China’s land neighbours. China’s growth rate is actually declining, debt levels are dangerously high, and labour is getting more expensive. At this moment, hence, it is more than ever dependent on international trade and global production chains to sustain higher levels of GDP growth. It can ill-afford to be seen as a disruptor rather than a pillar of the existing economic global order. For the present, development, therefore, is the cardinal objective.

The Achilles’ heel of the Chinese economy is the lack of resources, specially oil. Oil from the Gulf region is critical for China’s growth. Peace in Asia is thus vital to ensure uninterrupted supplies of oil. Uncertainties and disruptions across the Asian region would hamper China’s economic progress.

Apart from this, China also faces several cross-border security challenges, in addition to unrest in Tibet and Xinjiang. Embarking on military engagement outside the country’s borders could aggravate China’s problems. At a time when China is intent on sustained economic growth at one level, and aspiring to be a Great Power at another level, this could prove to be a dampener.

For all the above reasons, China currently leans towards the pragmatic when it comes to relations with countries other than those in its immediate periphery in East Asia. It is not keen to follow a policy adopted by its new-found strategic ally viz. Russia which has paid a high cost for its ‘interventionist’ policies. China tends to take a longer term view of its future and, despite the rising crescendo of nationalism in China today, is anxious not to upset the international political or economic order. For this reason alone, it would shun a conflict with India in the Doklam area.

Not a status quoist power
China is not a status quoist power, and aspires to be a Great Power. It is well-positioned to achieve this if it maintains its present course. Any interruption, by indulging in a conflict with nations small or big, would not only damage but derail the levels of progress that are essential to achieve this objective. President Xi’s China dream seems predicated on this belief. It implies support for a rule-based international system, linked to ‘Tianxia’, in the belief that this would help China overtake the U.S. as the dominant world power. When China talks of a ‘new type of Great Power relations’ it already envisages itself as Great Power in the making. It is unlikely to do anything to deviate from this goal.

While this attitude cannot be taken for granted for all time, the current Chinese leadership seems comfortable in following this prescription. It appears to believe in the aphorism that ‘the longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward’.

M.K. Narayanan is a former National Security Advisor and a former Governor of West Bengal

*************

 

[Han Patriot]

I realise something new.

I am so stupid, Doklam and Doklam plateau are two different things, China wanted to own Doklam not just the plateau, the road till Doka La essentially already covers the whole Doklam plateau. When we station troops there, we have de-facto control of Doklam plateau. Strategically, it was the plateau that mattered, the last big piece of flat land there facing Siliguri. Use google 3D, the plateau area is only at the top left quarter of Doklam, the rest are essentially river valleys with no strategic use.

Map from Indian analyst

Map from Chinese MOFA

 

[Hindustani78]

http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2017-08/31/content_4790467.htm

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's armed forces will strengthen patrolling and defense of the Dong Lang (Doklam) area to resolutely safeguard the country's sovereign security, a military spokesperson said Thursday.

China's military has paid close attention to the situation and taken emergency measures to reinforce border controls since the Dong Lang incident occurred, said Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

"Chinese troops resolutely maintain the country's territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights," he said, adding that they have also used military diplomacy and border contact channels to promote the proper resolution of the issue.

On June 18, more than 270 armed Indian troops with two bulldozers crossed the boundary into Dong Lang in Chinese sovereign territory to obstruct infrastructure construction.

China on Monday confirmed that India had withdrawn personnel and equipment from Dong Lang after a military stand-off lasting more than two months.

A soldier assigned to an army aviation brigade with the PLA 80th Group Army signals attack helicopters as they prepare to land at a military airfield during a recent flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Qiguang and Yu Dashuang)

 

[ashok321]

 

[Hindustani78]

 

[Hindustani78]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

NEW DELHI: The Dokalam standoff and the subsequent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh has made it necessary for takeaways and ironing out of issues by the militaries on both sides, being the primary stakeholders in such matters.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) has to be properly demarcated and simultaneously confidence building measures (CBMs) have to be conducted, military experts said. More points of contact, including regular meetings and setting up of a hotline between the two militaries, have to be created to prevent future transgressions, incursions and face-offs.

The LAC, starting from northwest of the Karakoram pass and ending at Arunachal Pradesh, has not been demarcated and is virtually passed on by word of mouth. This has led to differing perceptions regarding the alignment, with China making territorial claims in at least eight areas.


These are those areas where regular incursions and face-offs take place. They include Asaphila, Longju, Namka Chu, Sumdorong Chu, and Yangste in Arunachal Pradesh, Barahoti in Uttarakhand, and Aksai China and Demchok in Ladakh.

Even areas along the banks of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, where a clash between Indian and Chinese troops took place on August 15, are under dispute. The LAC passes through the lake, but India and China do not agree on its exact location. The mountains sloping on the banks of the lake form finger-like structures.

India controls area only up to ‘Finger 4’, which is a bone of contention between India and China as both claim it to be a part of their territory. Chinese border posts are at ‘Finger 8’.

On August 15, a joint patrol of Indian Army and ITBP personnel had prevented Chinese soldiers from moving beyond Finger 4. The Chinese soldiers left, but returned later with more people, carrying rods. They attacked the Indian soldiers, who retaliated. Besides scuffles, stone pelting also took place, leading to injuries on both sides.

“In the recent past, such an incident with its high degree of violence never happened along the LAC,” a military expert said. “This incident could lead to a breach of trust between local military commanders,” the person told ET.

Until the LAC is demarcated properly and there are no doubts regarding its alignment, such incidents can occur.

 

[Hindustani78]

BEIJING:, September 07, 2017 20:59 IST
Updated: September 07, 2017 21:04 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...neral-rawat/article19637960.ece?homepage=true

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang seeks to know if these were the Army Chief’s personal observations or India’s official line.
China on Thursday said it was unclear whether remarks by Army Chief Bipin Rawat’s advocating India’s readiness to face a two-front war, reflected official policy or were his personal “spontaneous” observations.

“We have noted this statement,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in response to a question, underplaying Gen. Rawat’s remarks.

He added: “We have also noted that some Indian press reported his remarks were shocking. We don’t know whether he was authorised to speak those words or whether it was spontaneous, or whether it represented the position of the Indian government.”

"Development opportunities, not threats"
Mr. Geng pointed to the meeting on Tuesday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, where he said that the “two sides are each other’s development opportunities, not threats.”

“We hope India could view China’s development in a correct and rational way. We need to show the world that peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation is the only right choice for the two countries. We should respect each other, seek common ground and shelve differences, and preserve peace and tranquility in border areas,” Mr. Geng observed.

“We hope this military official could see this trend clearly and contribute to the development of China-India relations.”

"Xi-Modi meet buried the Doklam ghost"
The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President on the sidelines of the Xiamen BRICS summit, had “buried the ghost” of the Doklam face-off between the two sides and opened a new chapter in ties, Indian officials had said.

During a seminar, Gen. Rawat had accused China of embarking on “flexing of muscle," and pursuing "salami slicing” tactics of “taking over territory in a very gradual manner (and) testing our limits of threshold.”

 

[Hindustani78]

By: PTI | Udhampur | Published:September 7, 2017 9:41 pm

A top Army commander on Thursday said the surgical strikes carried out last year at terror camps in Azad Kashmir were intended to convey the message that LoC can be breached whenever the need arises. (AP/Representational Image)

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...e-to-convey-loc-can-be-breached-army-4833439/



A top Army commander on Thursday said the surgical strikes carried out last year at terror camps in Azad Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) were intended to convey the message that the Line of Control (LoC) can be breached whenever the need arises. Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Northern Command, also ruled out any Dokalam type stand-off between the armies of India and China in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying a multi-tier mechanism is in place to resolve any issue that may arise due to differences in perception of the border.

He was addressing a press conference after presenting gallantry and distinguished services medals to 103 army officers and jawans and certificates of appreciation to 31 units apart from 31 civilians at an investiture ceremony at the Northern Command headquarters here. During the media interaction, he referred to the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian special forces at terror camps across the LoC in September last year. “The surgical strike was a point we wanted to drive home across — that the Line of Control (LoC) is not a line that cannot be breached. When we want to, we will be able to breach it [LoC], go across and strike when we need. This was the message we wanted to convey and we did,” he said.

Replying to a volley of questions about the possibility of Dokalam-type stand-off between the armies of India and China in Ladakh, Gen Anbu said, “I don’t expect Dokalam-like situation to take place. It is not working here.” He said both countries have their own perception about the LAC and “therefore, we try to dominate these areas by patrolling. In the process, (if) you have certain faceoffs and any issues arising out of this due to difference of perception, we have mechanism which is in place.”

In Dokalam area in the Sikkim sector, the armies of India and China were in a faceoff situation for over 70 days before the two sides agreed last week to “disengage”. The Army commander said the mechanism is “well-placed”, from the lowest level to highest level and “whatever issues are raised, we deal with them on daily basis. Meetings take place and hotline communication is available to resolve whatever the differences are.”

To a question about China building huge infrastructure near ‘finger 4’ point along the LAC in Ladakh, he said, “They (China) are on the banks of Pangoso (Lake). There are ‘finger’ 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Finger 8 is the farthest one which PLA controls and finger 4 is in our control.” He added, “sometimes, faceoffs and some incidents do happen but they are resolved as we have good relations there.”

As far infrastructure on the Indian side is concerned, he said, “we have progressed a lot in last 10 years in eastern Ladakh.” Replying to a question about construction of a bridge by PLA on a stream after entering Indian territory in Dhamchok area of Ladakh, he said, “the bridge, you are mentioning, is not a bridge but a small log. It’s the line of Actual Control where the perception defers. They have a different perception (of LAC) and we have also a different perception at that particular place where the contention is.

“Therefore, the issue has been raised and we are dealing it with in a manner available to us to take it up with the PLA and resolve the issue,” he added. The Army commander said, “We are totally in control of the area concerned but the issue related to Dhamchok is basically about taking cattle for grazing on both the sides — on our side as well as the PLA side”.

He said it is around that area that these log bridges have come up to facilitate grazing. “We exactly know where our claimed lines lie and what we need to do to be able to effectively deal with the PLA on the matter. We are in full control,” he added.

 

[ashok321]

China protests Rawat's 'two-front war' remark

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...two-prong-war-remark/articleshow/60406907.cms

But why blabber now when the stand-off is thing of the past and the Chinese imports have resumed in India unbridled?

 

[leapx]

Why did BipinRawat behave like a politician, or a member of the opposition?

If the ”two-front war“ is government policy, shouldn't he keep it secret and do his job：prepare for war？
If it is not government policy, shouldn't he keep quiet since he is a general not the opposition leader?

 

[Hindustani78]

An HQ-6 air-defense missile weapons system attached to an air-defense battalion with a surface-to-air missile brigade under the PLA Air Force fires at simulated sea and aerial targets during a live-fire exercise near the Bohai Bay in east China on September 5, 2017. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Ming and Xie Biao)

Artillerymen assigned to an army brigade under the PLA 81st Group Army rush to their combat positions to operate PG-99 35mm anti-aircraft gun systems during an actual combat training exercise at a military shooting range near the Bohai Bay in east China in early September, 2017. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Miao)

Maintenance men assigned to a brigade of the Xi'an Flight Academy under the PLA Air Force load an air training bomb onto a J-7B fighter jet prior to a live-fire training exercise at a military airfield in northwest China's Gansu Province in late August, 2017. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wu Dehua)

 

[Hindustani78]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

BENGALURU: Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, the Chief of Air Staff, today said China maintains continuous air presence in Tibet but the airfields there lack requisite military infrastructure to carry out offensive operations.

Dhanoa also said India needs to concentrate and build infrastructure for operational efficiency in the northern and eastern sectors, even as the western border along Pakistan remains a challenge to internal security.

"China maintains continuous air presence in Tibet, they exercise their aircraft, the strength increases and decreases as per the prevailing exercise," he said.

The Air chief's remarks come against the backdrop of the recent Doklam stand-off with China which ended after both the countries disengaged troops following a prolonged face-off.

He said available satellite images reveal that airfields in Tibet are not optimised for offensive operations but more towards ensuring regional connectivity and lack military infrastructure.

"If you look at other airfields that are optimised for offensive operations, you will see that there is a difference in 'airfields in which they mean business' and the airfields in Tibet," he said.

Dhanoa was delivering the Air Chief Marshal L M Katre memorial Lecture organised by the Air Force Association, Karnataka, in association with the HAL and the Aeronautical Society of India.

Highlighting that the primary prerogative for India in the northern and eastern sectors is to concentrate and build up infrastructure, Dhanoa said, "This we have to do in order to increase our operational efficiency."

He said there is a "difference in perception" about the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the northern borders, which sometimes results in stand-offs but gets resolved also.

Throughout the stand-off that took place in Doklam there was no violation from either side, he said.

Dhanoa said only transport aircraft are allowed to fly up to the LAC and added that there were no transgressions in the air during the stand-off.

The Air Chief Marshal said during his last meeting with Chinese officials both sides shared the need to continue to "meet on the ground so as to stay away from each other in the air".

Speaking about the situation along the western border, without naming Pakistan, Dhanoa remarked: "In most countries the state has an army. There, the army has the state."

"It holds its exalted position in society to the propagation of a threat from us and if peace were to come they would lose all the privileges," he said.

Pointing to recent debates where people had questioned them (Pakistan) of their capability and performance in past confrontations with India, Dhanoa said, "So it is in their best interests to keep this threat alive and keep the pot boiling with the insurgency in Kashmir."

He said given the worldwide opinion right now, chances of a large-scale terror attack on a civilian infrastructure like 26/11 or Parliament attack was slightly remote as it would invite global condemnation.

"However, the military will continue to get targeted like it happened during Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota. They will try and surprise us by attacking at a totally new location or by using a totally different method of attack or time."

Suggesting that the biggest challenge is of internal security on a 24x7 basis, he said post Pathankot, IAF had carried out a series of measures to enhance the ability to detect and strengthen the base defence through training to neutralise 'Fidayeen' type attacks.

"I have always maintained that our training and preparedness has to be as per an adversaries' ability, the intentions can change, hence as a service we are prepared for the conflict at a very short notice," he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

An aircraft of Pakistani air force arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

An early warning aircraft of Pakistani air force arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

A Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

A Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

A Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

A Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

A Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter arrives at a Chinese airport to take part in the "Shaheen VI" joint training exercises in China, Sept. 7, 2017. The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training exercises in China on Thursday and it will run until Sept. 27. (Xinhua/Liu Chang)

 

[Hindustani78]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...avoid-future-doklams/articleshow/60446897.cms

NEW DELHI: India's capacity to counter challenges like Doklam is likely to get a significant boost in the next couple of years with stepped up pace of work on India-China border roads likely to result in several critical high altitude links being completed well before the 2020-21deadline.

Though the completion time-frame for most of the 61 roads --barring two or three-the Border Roads Organisation has been entrusted with, is around 2021, many will be ready earlier as enhanced financial powers given to the organisation recently begin to show results on the ground.

The construction of India-China roads has already seen a marked improvement in the past two-three years with formation cutting increasing from 107km in 2014-15 to 147 km in 2016-17. Similarly , progress on surfacing has increased from 174 km to 233 km in 2016-17 despite the heights and hard rock stretches.

The improved pace, given a limited working season of four to six months, is particularly noticeable on roads where the government accorded special dispensation considering the hostile work environment. As of now, against 3,400 km of 61 India-China roads under the BRO's charge, just 270km of formation cutting remains to achieve 100% connectivity -meaning road laying can begin from both ends of the project.

“The cumulative effect of BRO executives being able to technically and administratively sanction works up to Rs 100 crore will manifest in a year or two as time and cost curtail ment are achieved,“ said a wellplaced source. Of the 61 roads, 27 have been completed and of the remaining 34 connectivity to 21has been established.

A sense of urgency has been injected into BRO projects as the need to close, or at least narrow the logistics gap, between Indian and Chinese forces along the border has been brought home by the serious threat posed by incidents like Doklam to India's strategic interests. The proactive action of Indian troops in moving into territory disputed by China and Bhutan needed a strong and reliable supply line.

Another factor that worried the government and spurred construction of roads was reports of local populations migrating to the Chinese side in search of better economic activities. “This was the fallout of earlier policies of not building roads out of concern that they may end up aiding Chinese forces,“ said the source.


The construction of IndiaChina border roads came in for scathing criticism by the comptroller and auditor general of India in a report that noted that only 27 roads were ready . BRO hopes to change this picture with improved project execution capacity and better pace of construction in the past couple of years.The BRO's task has been made easier with the latest decision to empower states to take a call on forest clearances within a certain threshold. Still, number of forest clearance cases and land acquisition cases are pending and non-allotment of stone quarries is also hurting the implementation of road projects critical to safeguarding India's interests.