New developments reported by Chinese troops over tense borders with India
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*BEIJING: *
Chinese border troops, stationed in plateau areas, were recently equipped with ready-to-assemble thermal shelters, a guarantee they could get through the chilly winter and support the military’s combat readiness in extreme weather.
The use of thermal shelters comes amid the ongoing border tension between China and India, with experts saying it can provide the Chinese military with reliable combat-readiness support in a long-term standoff during the harsh winter, *Global Times*reported on Thursday.
Developed by the Army Engineering University of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the shelters – composed of dormitories, canteens, washing rooms, toilets, warehouses, microgrids and heating equipment – can function properly in temperatures as low as -55°C and at an altitude of 5,500 metres.
The self-powered thermal insulation houses have already been used in outposts in plateau and alpine areas in the past two years, and border troops on the plateau are now officially equipped with them.
The prolonged standoff in the Chinese-Indian border region is a battle of endurance, logistical support and morale of soldiers, as tensions have shown no signs of easing, said Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University in Beijing.
“This announcement of the use of the shelters will greatly raise the morale of PLA soldiers in the border regions and boost their resolution in the standoff,” Qian said.
“The deployment of those shelters shows preparation for an all-round military struggle amid the escalating tensions on the China-India border,” Song Zhongping, a military expert and commentator, said.
The equipment is flexible in its application and can be assembled according to the scale of the troops.
