China constructing a bridge on Pangong Tso
New Delhi: Just as news broke out of Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanging sweets and greetings on January 1, to mark the arrival of new year celebrations, a new satellite image showing China building a bridge on its side of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh emerged on Monday amid the prolonged Sino-India military standoff in the border area.
Satellite images by geo-intelligence expert Damien Symon have shown that China is building a bridge across the north and south banks of Pangong Tso. In a tweet, Symon shared satellite imagery, which confirmed that the Chinese are constructing a bridge connecting the two banks of Pangong Tso and the work is near-complete.
Media reports of #PangongTso allege a new bridge is under construction connecting the north & south bank of the lake, in turn enhancing road connectivity for #China's troops in the area, GEOINT of the area identifies the location & progress of the alleged structure https://t.co/b9budT3DZZ pic.twitter.com/IdBl5rkDhR
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) January 3, 2022
“Media reports of #PangongTso allege a new bridge is under construction connecting the north & south bank of the lake, in turn enhancing road connectivity for #China’s troops in the area, GEOINT of the area identifies the location & progress of the alleged structure,” Symon said in a tweet.
China has been focusing on strengthening its military infrastructure after Indian troops took control of several strategic peaks on the southern bank of Pangong lake in August 2020 after the Chinese PLA attempted to intimidate them in the area.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the armies of India and China erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh that is considered a key stretch for military purposes.
(_Vinayak)
