Line Of No Control

China expands its military aviation infrastructure on the tibetan plateau even as the indian army begins a great rebalance of forces—from the western border with pakistan to the northern border with china. The loss of trust and absence of protocols mean miscalculations could spiral into conflict

- Sandeep Unnithan

FREEZE FRAME Indian and Chinese troops and tanks disengage from the banks of the Pangong lake area in eastern Ladakh, Feb. 16, 2021

Like gigantic grey concrete aircraft carriers standing out against a dun-colored Tibetan plateau, Beijing’s big military aviation build-up is unfolding in clear view of imaging satellites. Satellite photos show a frenetic pace of construction, unrivaled in recent years. New airfields are being built and old ones are expanded with new taxi tracks, aprons, and longer runways. Fighter jets are being pushed under concrete pens with three-foot-thick walls that can withstand direct hits from missiles and air-dropped precision bombs. Launchpads around the bases bristle with HQ-9 long-range missiles which can shoot down aircraft over 100 km away. Concrete has been trucked into various military sites across the plateau since May (the building season is May-October in the heights as concrete does not set easily in winter), and one government source mentions having counted up to 800 trucks working at various sites across the plateau. China is building three new airports at Tashkurgan in Xinjiang and Tingri and Damxung in Tibet and expanding and upgrading infrastructure at the existing airbases in Kashgar, Hotan, Ngari-Gunsa, Lhasa, and Bangda. Beijing’s 14th five-year plan (2021-25), approved in March this year, included the construction of 20 multi-purpose airfields in Tibet. China is preparing for war or, at the very least, a new round of border belligerence.