China dares India again as PLA builds camps, houses along Arunachal border

This heightened activities by China along the border is being witnessed as a fresh dare to India

NEW DELHI: Right across the LAC (line of actual control) in Arunachal Pradesh, a cluster of fresh Chinese infrastructure has been observed. The cluster includes a new camp for People's Liberation Army (PLA) along with several houses.

The new constructions have come up in Tatu, which lies on the other side of Kibithu town in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. Kibithu is one of the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and China's PLA.

The heightened activities by China along the border is being witnessed as a fresh dare to India.

A Chinese telecommunications tower and observation post with surveillance equipment was also observed as a part of their new infrastructure in Tatu, reported news agency ANI.

Earlier this month, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had informed in Parliament that China has been constructing helipads, sentry posts and trenches for its army personnel in Doklam. It was also ramping up infrastructure in the region.

Last week, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale had warned that any attempt by China to change the status quo along the border can lead to another Doklam-like stand-off between the two nations.

"In order to maintain the peace and tranquillity (along India-China border), there are certain areas, certain sectors which are very sensitive, where we must not change the status quo. If anyone changes the status quo, it will lead to a situation like what happened in Doklam," Bambawale told a Hong Kong-based magazine.

India and China were engaged in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam along the Sikkim sector from June 16, 2017, after the Indian side stopped Chinese troops in the building of a road. The face-off ended on August 28, 2017.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman later said that India is alert and ready for any unforseen situation. “We are alert and ready for any unforeseen situation in Doklam. We are constantly working on the modernisation of our forces. We will maintain our territorial integrity,” Sitharaman had said.

Both the countries have been going back and forward in an effort to reboot ties bilateral ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's is expected to visit China in June 2018.

With ANI inputs