China doubles air bases, air defence positions and heliports near LAC after 2017 Doklam standoff
                     China doubles air bases, air defence 
positions and heliports near LAC after 2017 
Doklam standoff
China has started construction of at least 13 entirely new military positions including three
air bases, five permanent air defence positions and five heliports near the Line of Actual
Control(LAC) in the aftermath of the  Doklam standoff in 2017, according to a report by
global security consultancy Stratfor.
The report also said construction on four of those new heliports started only after the current
border standoff erupted in eastern Ladakh in early May.
"The 2017 Doklam crisis appears to have shifted China's strategic objectives, with China
more than doubling its total number of air bases, air defense positions, and heliports near the
Indian border over the past three years," it said.
The report  authored by security  expert  Sim Tack and released on Tuesday said China's
construction  drive  projects  a  future  military  capability  that  will  see  long-term regional
tensions with India sustained beyond the two countries' recent standoffs.
The report said the recent procurement of the Rafale fighter aircraft by India has started to
provide it some relief, but more time will be required to see indigenous production and
foreign acquisitions truly rebuild the strength of India's air force.
It observed that the ongoing escalation in the Ladakh region has started to formulate an
Indian  response  to  the  broader  strategic  threat  posed  by  China's  ongoing  military
infrastructure drive.
The  report  titled  'A Military  Drive  Spells  Out  China's  Intent  Along  the  Indian  Border'
analysed that the rapid expansion of permanent Chinese military infrastructure points  to
Beijing's intentions that span a wider timeframe than current and recent border standoffs.
"Indian and Chinese forces clashed in the Doklam region in June 2017. Since then, China
has started constructing at  least  13 entirely new military positions near its  borders with
India, including three air bases, five permanent air defense positions and five heliports," the
report said.
It  said  China's  strategy  aims  to  confront  India  with  an  "insurmountable"  challenge  in
territorial  disputes  by  leaning on broad support  capabilities  that  provide Beijing with  a
tremendous ability to mobilise forces into disputed border areas.
The report noted that such an approach is similar to China's strategy in the South China Sea,
where  a  buildup  of  permanent  defense  facilities  supports  Chinese  localised  military
superiority  and significantly  raises  the  potential  cost  of  military  opposition  to  Beijing's
maritime claims.
"In  applying this  same strategy on the  Indian  border,  China  aims  to  discourage  Indian
resistance or military action during future border disputes by ostentatiously demonstrating
its ability and intent to engage in military confrontations."
The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in
2017 which even triggered fears of a conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Tensions were defused after several rounds of talks.
The armies of the two countries have been locked in a fierce faceoff in eastern Ladakh since
May 5 following a violent clash in Pangong Tso area.
The current row is turning out to be the biggest military standoff between the two sides
since the 1962 Sino-India war.
A significant portion of Beijing's recent infrastructure developments is aimed directly at
strengthening its ability to project air power along the entire Indian border at a time when
New Delhi itself is trying to rebuild its air power, the report said.
"While  these  new  developments  are  geographically  focused  on  the  region  of  current
tensions, Chinese activity across India's entire border will likely drive future expansions of
Indian military infrastructure near disputed borders at Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh," it
said.
The  report  said  New  Delhi  will  continue  to  upgrade  its  overall  military  capabilities,
particularly in those fields where capability gaps exist vis-a-vis China, such as air power,
ground-based air defence and missile forces.