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The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece, Xinhua news agency, published some ground photos showing the PLA commandos doing routine physical training as a gigantic exercise on the south of Spangur Tso.
Col Vinayak Bhat (Retd) New DelhiJanuary 2, 2021UPDATED: January 2, 2021 17:14 IST
Out of a barrage of Chinese propaganda comes evidence of a new road the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing on the north of Spangur Tso (or south of Pangong Tso), which is a major concern for India.
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece, Xinhua news agency, published some ground photos showing the PLA commandos doing routine physical training as a gigantic exercise on the south of Spangur Tso.
The Xinhua report brought to the fore the occupied eastern Ladakh yet again, especially the areas south of Pangong Tso and Spangur Tso.
India Today's OSINT desk looks at satellite images to understand what the Chinese PLA is clandestinely doing behind this propaganda drive.
New road north of Spangur Tso
The PLA had begun constructing a mountainous road skirting the Spangur Tso on its north, around the Matung Nyungtsa mountain.
The road of almost 5m wide connects to main road S301 (301 Provincial Road) coming from Rutok, the town at the eastern edge of Pangong Tso.
The road is still under construction as of December 30, 2020, with a small gap of approximately 200m remaining.
The satellite images suggest that this road is likely to be black-topped soon. This new road will help China occupy the entire southern bank of Pangong Tso anytime it wishes. The mountain tops on the southern bank of Pangong Tso, east of Finger 4 seem to be occupied already.
A new set of PLA tentage is also observed at a location slightly above the northern bank of Spangur Tso and at least one more mountain top post is seen on the ridgeline between Pangong Tso and Spangur Tso.
Propaganda exercise south of Spangur Tso
The Chinese social media is abuzz with a set of four undated pictures, showing Chinese commando troops doing some routine endurance training south of Spangur Tso.
The pictures possibly taken in August-September released probably in the first week of December show exercises which the Indian Army regularly conducts during its physical training period every morning.
Other reports also showed Chinese troops using exoskeletons for climbing these high-altitude mountains.
The satellite images, however, reveal more than what the CCP wishes to show.
The Chinese troops are still in tents. No hot food supplies via drones have been noticed as yet, though fresh snowfall has been noticed in this area on satellite imagery between December 25 and December 30, 2020. In September this year, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin had posted a video on Twitter of drones supplying hot meals to Chinese frontline soldiers.
The Spangur Tso has completely frozen and Pangong Tso has frozen east of Finger Five. This suggests that the Chinese PLA will not be able to use speed boats. India, on the other hand, will still be able to patrol the Pangong Tso through boats.
(Col Vinayak Bhat (Retd) is a consultant for India Today. A satellite imagery analyst, he served in the Indian Army for over 33 years)
www.indiatoday.in
Col Vinayak Bhat (Retd) New DelhiJanuary 2, 2021UPDATED: January 2, 2021 17:14 IST
Out of a barrage of Chinese propaganda comes evidence of a new road the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing on the north of Spangur Tso (or south of Pangong Tso), which is a major concern for India.
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece, Xinhua news agency, published some ground photos showing the PLA commandos doing routine physical training as a gigantic exercise on the south of Spangur Tso.
The Xinhua report brought to the fore the occupied eastern Ladakh yet again, especially the areas south of Pangong Tso and Spangur Tso.
India Today's OSINT desk looks at satellite images to understand what the Chinese PLA is clandestinely doing behind this propaganda drive.
New road north of Spangur Tso
The PLA had begun constructing a mountainous road skirting the Spangur Tso on its north, around the Matung Nyungtsa mountain.
The road of almost 5m wide connects to main road S301 (301 Provincial Road) coming from Rutok, the town at the eastern edge of Pangong Tso.
The road is still under construction as of December 30, 2020, with a small gap of approximately 200m remaining.
The satellite images suggest that this road is likely to be black-topped soon. This new road will help China occupy the entire southern bank of Pangong Tso anytime it wishes. The mountain tops on the southern bank of Pangong Tso, east of Finger 4 seem to be occupied already.
A new set of PLA tentage is also observed at a location slightly above the northern bank of Spangur Tso and at least one more mountain top post is seen on the ridgeline between Pangong Tso and Spangur Tso.
Propaganda exercise south of Spangur Tso
The Chinese social media is abuzz with a set of four undated pictures, showing Chinese commando troops doing some routine endurance training south of Spangur Tso.
The pictures possibly taken in August-September released probably in the first week of December show exercises which the Indian Army regularly conducts during its physical training period every morning.
Other reports also showed Chinese troops using exoskeletons for climbing these high-altitude mountains.
The satellite images, however, reveal more than what the CCP wishes to show.
The Chinese troops are still in tents. No hot food supplies via drones have been noticed as yet, though fresh snowfall has been noticed in this area on satellite imagery between December 25 and December 30, 2020. In September this year, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin had posted a video on Twitter of drones supplying hot meals to Chinese frontline soldiers.
The Spangur Tso has completely frozen and Pangong Tso has frozen east of Finger Five. This suggests that the Chinese PLA will not be able to use speed boats. India, on the other hand, will still be able to patrol the Pangong Tso through boats.
(Col Vinayak Bhat (Retd) is a consultant for India Today. A satellite imagery analyst, he served in the Indian Army for over 33 years)
China builds new road south of Pangong Tso in Ladakh
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece, Xinhua news agency, published some ground photos showing the PLA commandos doing routine physical training as a gigantic exercise on the south of Spangur Tso.
