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China blocks India's plan for Ladakh road
Sachin Parashar, TNN, Dec 1, 2009, 02.47am IST
China blocks India's plan for Ladakh road - India - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Even as China objects to the construction of a road in the Ladakh region, India's external intelligence agency RAW has conveyed to the government that China is simultaneously building and repairing as many 27 airstrips in the Tibet region. According to the agency, these airstrips would be of use for China only in the case of a conflict with India as New Delhi is the only potential adversary in the region.
The J&K government on Monday confirmed that work had to be stopped on a road project meant to facilitate the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in Demchok in south-east Leh because of objections raised by the Chinese army. This when Beijing itself has aggressively gone about the task of augmenting its infrastructure along the border with India.
"Many of these 27 military strips have been newly built. Others which have been expanded too are seeing increasing Chinese activities. Like the intermediate range missiles stationed in the Delingha region, these airfields can be of strategic use for China only against India,'' said a senior official. According to the official, some of the airfields which are being upgraded continuously are Kashgar, Yarkand and Tashkurgan in the western sector, Tingri and Shigatse in the middle sector and Doonshon, Kangbo, Chamdo and Phari Dzong in the eastern sector.
The expansion of airfields follows the deployment of intermediate range missiles like DF-4 in the Delingha region. The medium-range ballistic missiles can hit targets that are almost 3,000 kilometres away. China has also built several launch pads for nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles in the same region.
Interestingly, the Chinese had complained about India upgrading its airfields in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh in October. IAF vice-chief Air Marshal P K Barbora had then responded by saying that China had no business to talk about it because India too had not objected to the massive military build up in Tibet including expansion of airfields.
According to military experts, these military air bases give China an edge in the event of a war with India because they would allow sustained combat operations by Chinese aircraft over all of northern India and strike major cities.
Sachin Parashar, TNN, Dec 1, 2009, 02.47am IST
China blocks India's plan for Ladakh road - India - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Even as China objects to the construction of a road in the Ladakh region, India's external intelligence agency RAW has conveyed to the government that China is simultaneously building and repairing as many 27 airstrips in the Tibet region. According to the agency, these airstrips would be of use for China only in the case of a conflict with India as New Delhi is the only potential adversary in the region.
The J&K government on Monday confirmed that work had to be stopped on a road project meant to facilitate the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in Demchok in south-east Leh because of objections raised by the Chinese army. This when Beijing itself has aggressively gone about the task of augmenting its infrastructure along the border with India.
"Many of these 27 military strips have been newly built. Others which have been expanded too are seeing increasing Chinese activities. Like the intermediate range missiles stationed in the Delingha region, these airfields can be of strategic use for China only against India,'' said a senior official. According to the official, some of the airfields which are being upgraded continuously are Kashgar, Yarkand and Tashkurgan in the western sector, Tingri and Shigatse in the middle sector and Doonshon, Kangbo, Chamdo and Phari Dzong in the eastern sector.
The expansion of airfields follows the deployment of intermediate range missiles like DF-4 in the Delingha region. The medium-range ballistic missiles can hit targets that are almost 3,000 kilometres away. China has also built several launch pads for nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles in the same region.
Interestingly, the Chinese had complained about India upgrading its airfields in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh in October. IAF vice-chief Air Marshal P K Barbora had then responded by saying that China had no business to talk about it because India too had not objected to the massive military build up in Tibet including expansion of airfields.
According to military experts, these military air bases give China an edge in the event of a war with India because they would allow sustained combat operations by Chinese aircraft over all of northern India and strike major cities.