Himalayan challenge to build better along lac is necessary but against china so are strategic friends

Himalayan challenge to build better along lac is necessary but against china so are strategic friends

Ahead of the second anniversary of the Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, visiting US Army’s Pacific Commanding General Charles A Flynn has once again drawn attention to China’s rapid build-up of military infrastructure along the LAC. There’s no denying that China is rapidly building dual-use border infrastructure. From troop shelters, gun positions, helipads and jetties in disputed areas in eastern Ladakh to border villages along Arunachal Pradesh, China has been solidifying its position all across the 3,488 km LAC. Add to this, two new Chinese bridges across the Pangong Tso.

Clearly, China is in no mood to disengage from its border standoff with India. And with Chinese President Xi Jinping looking to secure an unconventional third term at the helm of the Chinese party-state at the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress later this year, he is unlikely to compromise on his aggressive foreign policy posture. The only way India can counter this is by ramping up its own border infrastructure development. In the last Union Budget, GoI increased the capital outlay for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) by 40%, which included a six-fold hike in allocation for Arunachal Pradesh’s Border Area Development Programme.

In fact, India has quickened the pace of its border infrastructure development since the Galwan clashes, inaugurating multiple bridges and border roads along the LAC. It is also planning to enhance rail connectivity in the Northeast and in May 2020 increased the BRO’s procurement powers from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 100 crore, allowing it to acquire critical equipment for speedier laying of border roads and other construction. But given that Beijing still outguns us in terms of resources, New Delhi needs to simultaneously engage in tactical collaboration with the US and other countries concerned about Chinese belligerence. The upcoming Yudh Abhyas joint exercise with Americans in the Himalayas and the finalising of a logistics support pact with Vietnam are steps in the right direction.