China, India send in supplies for thousands of border troops ahead of brutal winter
- As stand-off continues, focus is on logistical support as the two militaries prepare for harsh conditions in the remote Himalayan region
- Neither side has shown a willingness to withdraw soldiers, even though they realise it will become a ‘war of attrition’, observer says
Both sides are now preparing for the harsh weather ahead, transporting supplies to the area in the Ladakh region, bordering Tibet, where they have sent extra troops in the past few months since tensions flared in May, according to observers.
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India’s military sends supplies to disputed China border ahead of winter
“[India’s] top military leadership … is looking at a deployment of about 30,000 troops in eastern Ladakh through the winter, and that measures including ‘advanced winter stocking’ – including food, fuel, ammunition – are being undertaken in an accelerated manner”, said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a distinguished fellow and head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
Zhou Chenming, a military expert in Beijing, said the People’s Liberation Army could have an advantage in its logistical support given China’s huge investments in infrastructure for its remote border counties under a nationwide poverty relief scheme in the past decades.
It has also started building at least 13 new military positions near its borders with India since the Doklam stand-off in 2017, including three airbases, five permanent air defence positions and five heliports, according to a report by Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence platform, on Tuesday.
Zhou noted that the troops will have to endure harsh conditions and the area will be inaccessible over winter.