China-India border dispute: village built in conflict zone part of Beijing’s poverty alleviation scheme, source says

Person close to Chinese military says development of about 100 houses was built within China’s territory as part of a nationwide poverty alleviation scheme

But Indian academic says Beijing’s house building schemes in disputed areas are just another example of its “aggressive expansionism”

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The Chinese village comprises about 100 houses, satellite images show. Photo: Twitter

Published: 3:00pm, 24 Jan 2021Updated: 9:02pm, 24 Jan 2021

China’s construction of a new village in an area of Arunachal Pradesh that has been at the centre of the country’s long-running border dispute with India was part of a national poverty alleviation programme, according to a source close to the Chinese military.

The development of new roads for use by the military in the area provided a “good opportunity to build houses for local Tibetans using poverty relief money,” said the source, who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to talk to the media.

The development is located on the banks of the Tsari Chu river and comprises about 100 houses, according to pictures shown on Monday by Indian broadcaster NDTV and dated November 1, 2020.

It is not known exactly when the properties were built, but satellite images of the same area taken in August 2019 show it to be grassland. A report by Chinese state news agency Xinhua said most of the houses were built in October last year.

Arunachal Pradesh is regarded by New Delhi as an Indian state, but Beijing claims about 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) of it as South Tibet.