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Galwan Valley: Satellite Pictures ‘Show China Structures’ On India Border

Source: BBC

China has built new structures close to the site of a Himalayan outskirt conflict that left 20 Indian soldier’s dead not long ago, fresh satellite images suggest.

Bunkers, tents, and capacity units for military equipment are noticeable in a territory where a month ago there were none.

Fighting between the nuclear-armed powers over their disputed frontier has prompted alarm. Chinese casualties were also reported but not confirmed.

The most recent pictures were published as the sides hold talks to defuse tensions.

The new satellite pictures, dated 22 June, are from space innovation organization Maxar. The structures which appear to have been built by China overlooking the Galwan River were not visible in aerial photos earlier in June, Reuters reported.

Neither India nor China has commented.

The conflict in the Galwan Valley, in the contested Himalayan domain of Ladakh, occurred on 15 June, weeks after elevated level military leaders from the two countries consented to “peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements.”

Since the clash, and amid spiraling rhetoric, the two nations have tried to publicly calm tensions.

A statement released by India’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said that India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the Chinese Foreign Minister HE Wang Yi “reaffirmed that the two sides ought to genuinely actualize the comprehension on withdrawal and de-acceleration that was reached by the senior commanders on 6 June”.

Source: BBC

Ajai Shukla, a main Indian resistance investigator, tweeted that “there is a huge Chinese camp in the Galwan Valley, 1.5km into the Indian side of the LAC [Line of Actual Control]”.

Local media have also cited sources in the Indian armed force as saying that the extra develop by China appeared to have occurred between the 15 June clash and commander-level talks prior to that.

Satellite imagery from May shows no structures in the disputed area near where the clashes took place.

Former Indian diplomat P Stobdan, a specialist in Ladakh undertakings, told the BBC the development was “worrying”.

“The [Indian] government has not released any pictures or made a statement, so it’s hard to assess. But the images released by private firms show that the Chinese have built infrastructure and have not retreated,” he said.

The circumstance in the region is described as still ” very tense”.

Meanwhile, India’s Army Chief Gen MM Naravane is planned to visit a forward area along the outskirt on Thursday. He visited other forward regions on Wednesday and inspected the operational readiness, the military said.

What Occurred In The Galwan Valley?

Media reports said troops clashed on ridges at a height of nearly 4,300m (14,000 ft) on steep landscape, with some Indian warriors falling into the quick streaming Galwan waterway in below zero temperatures.

In any event 76 Indian soldiers were allegedly harmed notwithstanding the 20 dead. China has not released any data information Chinese casualties.

The fighting took place without any firearms because of a 1996 agreement barring guns and explosives from the area.

How Tense Is The Region?

The Line of Actual Control, as the disputed border between the two countries, is known, is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes, and snowcaps implies the line can move.

Source: BBC

The soldiers on either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face to face at many points. India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh’s Galwan valley and says China occupies 38,000sq km (14,700sq miles) of its territory. Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary disputes.

The two countries have fought just one war up until this point, in 1962, when India suffered a humiliating defeat.

In May, many Indian and Chinese officers traded physical blows on the outskirt in the north-eastern territory of Sikkim. What’s more, in 2017, the two nations conflicted in the area after China attempted to expand a fringe street through a contested level, Doklam.

Tensions have also risen over a road built by India in Ladakh.

There are a few reasons why tensions are rising now – however contending vital objectives lie at the root, and both sides blame each other.

India’s new road in what experts say is the most remote and helpless territory along the LAC in Ladakh. The road could boost Delhi’s ability to move men and materiel quickly in the event of a conflict. Analysts say India’s decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing.

This story is originally posted on BBC

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