Geopolitical analysts are warning China to keep a close eye on India’s efforts to upgrade the roads to Galwan Valley, where the deadly clashes between the countries happened in 2020, known as the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) Road. The warnings come amid reports that India was also building another road to the valley, which lies west of the DSDBO Road. The new route is 130km long and will reduce dependence on the DSDBO Road.
Lin Minwang, vice-dean at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, said India’s rapid construction of roads during the Modi era is a “manifestation” of the border infrastructure competition between China and India to control the valley. “Currently, both China and India are strengthening their control [near the border],” he told South China Morning Post, adding that India was taking unprecedented measures.
Another researcher, He Xianqing, also sounded the alarm at the pace of India’s infrastructure expansion in the region. He, an associate at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told South China Morning Post that China should remain alert to the expansion, and that it needed more advanced technology for its border infrastructure. “India’s border infrastructure … deserves close attention. It has substantially improved logistics and military capabilities in border areas. Its enhanced infrastructure capabilities may lead to risky provocations in border areas,” He added.
The researcher also urged China to develop its infrastructure “at its own pace” as India’s building capacity lagged. “China should focus on promoting developmental infrastructure and new types of infrastructure, such as networks, electromagnetic systems, drone landing platforms, and border situational awareness platforms,” He added.
The warnings come as India expedites infrastructure improvement at an alarming pace in the region. From 2017 to 2020, it cut roads at 470km (292 miles) per year, up from 230km per year average over the previous decade. This includes the construction of 32 new roads, with work started on eight, as well as the construction and upgrading of helipads.
The mountaineous terrain is a huge disadvantage to India as it could hinder a steady supply chain of fresh troops, adequate force induction speed, materiel movement, and cross deployments to support positions in a time of war. The current upgradation of the DSDBO road, built in 2019, could enable India to accommodate tanks and specialised trucks capable of carrying long-range missiles.
