relies on NOTAM warnings
ISLAMABAD: A comprehensive investigation by The Wall Street Journal hasrevealed that China has quietly constructed at least eight new airports andheliports along its disputed border with India since 2020, significantlyenhancing its ability to rapidly deploy troops, fighter jets, and heavyweaponry in any future Himalayan conflict.
These facilities, located in the Tibet and Xinjiang regions opposite Ladakhand Arunachal Pradesh, include full-length runways capable of handlingadvanced combat aircraft and large transport planes, marking a concreteexpansion of military power projection in the high-altitude theatre.
According to satellite imagery and official Chinese documents analysed bythe Journal, several of these airfields have been built or upgraded within100 kilometres of the Line of Actual Control, with some featuring hardenedshelters, extensive ammunition storage, and direct highway connections forswift mobilisation.
Military analysts quoted in the report note that these developments allowChina to position air assets and reinforcements far closer to potentialflashpoints than previously possible, dramatically reducing response timescompared to relying on distant inland bases.
In contrast, India’s primary response has been limited to issuing periodicNotices to Airmen restricting civilian flights over border areas andconducting high-profile military exercises, measures widely seen asintended more for domestic political consumption than altering thestrategic balance.
The new Chinese infrastructure includes dual-use civilian-military airportsat Tashkurgan, Purang, and Lonzi, as well as dedicated military heliportssupporting attack and transport helicopters capable of operatingeffectively operating at altitudes exceeding 4,500 metres.
Experts warn that this asymmetric buildup gives China a decisivefirst-strike and sustained operations advantage in any limited orfull-scale conflict, particularly during winter months when many Indianforward positions become logistically constrained.
The development comes amid continuing military-level talks between the twonuclear-armed neighbours aimed at disengagement in remaining frictionareas, yet Beijing has shown no indication of slowing its borderinfrastructure drive.
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Indian defence officials have acknowledged the Chinese construction butmaintain that New Delhi is undertaking its own infrastructure development,including new roads, tunnels, and forward airfields, albeit at a paceconstrained by terrain, funding, and environmental clearances, andpolitical priorities.
The Wall Street Journal investigation underscores a broader pattern ofChina leveraging its superior state capacity and centraliseddecision-making to alter facts on the ground while India struggles withbureaucratic delays and electoral considerations.
Source:https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/china-india-border-airports-military-1167890
Source:https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-builds-air-bases-near-india-border-as-tensions-persist
Tags: China, India, LAC, PLA, Airfields, Tibet, Xinjiang, WSJ
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