China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has completed a 400-metre bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, show satellite images, as reported by NDTV and other media organisations.
The bridge, built over the narrowest part of Pangong Tso in Khurnak, was first reported in 2022. Satellite imagery expert Damien Symon highlighted that the bridge, capable of supporting tanks and armoured personnel carriers, would soon be operational.
Earlier, former External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi stated that the bridge is in an area illegally occupied by China since the 1960s, and India has never accepted this occupation or China’s construction activities.
The new bridge shortens the 130-kilometre distance between the lake’s southern and northern banks, reducing a 180-km loop from Khurnak to the south banks through Rutog county in Tibet. Symon noted that this bridge allows Chinese forces a shorter, direct route for rapid troop deployment, enhancing their response time in conflict zones.
The bridge’s location near Pangong Tso raises concerns for India, as it underscores China’s expansionist ambitions in Ladakh. Retired General Rohit Gupta pointed out that the bridge enhances China’s capability to quickly move forces between the lake’s banks, a previously lacking advantage, as reported by First Post.
The report quoting defecse experts suggest that this infrastructure will help China launch quicker operations in the mountains and provide access to strategic areas like Rezang La, where India had an upper hand in 2020.
China has been using dual-use ‘Xiaokang’ villages and other border infrastructure to bolster its presence. Beijing recently completed a road from Samzungling to the Galwan Valley, providing the PLA with a shorter route to rapidly deploy troops. Additionally, China has been constructing tunnels, helipads, bridges, and bunkers along the LAC and has deployed more fighters, bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft in the region, the report said.
