Advertisement
China-India relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China, India reinforcing border positions, satellite images show

  • There is ‘credible evidence’ that both sides have added firepower in Galwan River valley, International Institute for Strategic Studies says
  • Temporary position comprising 30-40 vehicles appears to have been set up on Indian side, and about 100 trucks can be seen on Chinese side, think tank says

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Satellite images taken on Tuesday appear to show India and China bolstering their forces along a disputed border. Photo: AFP
Liu Zhen
Chinese and Indian troops have reinforced their positions along their disputed border, but tents that might have been the spark for the recent clashes appear to have been removed, according to the latest satellite images of the area.
Advertisement

“There is credible evidence to suggest that both China and India have significantly reinforced their positions on their respective sides of the de facto border,” the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said on Thursday.

It based its assessment on satellite photographs of the Galwan River valley taken by Earth-imaging company Planet Labs on Tuesday.

They showed that structures close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which might have been the Chinese tents that triggered the deadliest clash on the west Himalayan border since 1967, had been dismantled, while several positions on the Indian side of the LAC had also been removed.

There also appeared to have been increased activity by the two armies. A temporary position comprising 30-40 vehicles appeared to have been set up on the Indian side, while a group of about 100 trucks could be seen on the Chinese side, according to a Reuters report.

Advertisement
However, it said that India’s claim that 10,000 troops from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had crossed the LAC and were occupying undisputed Indian territory appeared to be unsubstantiated.
Advertisement