China-India dispute highlights both sides’ growing military presence at border
- Deployment of Chinese advanced weapon systems is designed to show India the PLA’s capability, expert says
- Ongoing friction echoes 2017’s serious confrontation in Doklam
There has been no official confirmation of the numbers of troops each nation has deployed, but reports have suggested that the PLA has sent multiple advanced weapon systems and refitted fighter jets for operation in high altitude areas of the Tibetan plateau.
The Indian army, too, has moved several battalions from an infantry division usually based in the Ladakh city of Leh, near the border, to “operational alert areas” along the frontier, and reinforcement troops have been brought in.
Hong Kong-based military expert Liang Guoliang said Beijing had deployed at least nine combined arms brigades – with specialities including mountain infantry, artillery, air defence, aviation, chemical and nuclear, and electronic warfare – to the Tibet Military Region, a PLA district dedicated to border disputes with India.
02:19
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