Chinese PLA carves out bunkers in Aksai Chin to counter India's offensive capabilities post-Galwan

Reports have emerged that Chinese military forces have initiated significant underground construction activities in Aksai Chin, located to the east of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a region which India claims to be the nation's integral part.

These activities involve the creation of tunnels and shafts into a hillside along a narrow river valley. Multiple fortified shelters and bunkers are being built to house soldiers and keep the weaponry hidden. Satellite imagery from space tech company, Maxar, reportedly exposed the presence of around 11 hidden shafts carved into the rock surfaces on both sides of the river valley.

Experts quoted by various media outlets have meticulously analysed these images and are of the opinion that these extensive construction activities, over the past several months, seem to reflect China's strategic maneuvering to counterbalance India's perceived military advantage in the region. The construction of fortified shelters and bunkers likely represents a tactical move by China to ensure its preparedness against potential Indian airstrikes and extended-range artillery attacks, media reports said.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time China's activities have come to the fore. Earlier, a UK-based think tank in its report said Beijing is indulging in these activities to facilitate smooth troop deployment near the Indian border.

The report from Chatham House, which is based on an extensive study of satellite images taken in the six months since October 2022, states that Chinese PLA has built a network of outposts, camps, and expanded roads on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the start of a military standoff with India in May 2020.

These latest developments where the tunnels are seen in the satellite images signal China's ambitions for dominance in the region.China's intent appears to be mitigating the existing upper hand held by the Indian Air Force in Aksai Chin. This approach is also believed to be a response to India's bolstered offensive capabilities since the Galwan clash.

"By establishing underground facilities and developing subterranean infrastructure in such proximity to the border, Chinese strategists seem to be aiming to counterbalance the current advantage held by the Indian Air Force in Aksai Chin," a leading satellite imagery expert with The Intel Lab, Damien Symon, told NDTV.

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Sameer Joshi, the CEO of NewSpace Research & Technologies, a leading Indian drone start-up, told NDTV, "In the years since the Galwan clash, the Indian Army has effectively scaled up its offensive fire vectors, especially long-range tube and rocket artillery."

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