New Delhi, 18th January 2022: The standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh does not appear to be going away any time soon. Tensions between the two countries are increasing again over China’s construction of a new bridge near Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.

An open-source intelligence expert, Damien Simon, recently provided a satellite image. So far, 400 metres of work have been completed. The bridge’s construction will be completed in the next few months, based on the speed with which it is being completed. China is working hard to construct the bridge despite heavy snowfall and harsh weather. The completion of this bridge, according to experts, will offer Beijing a strategic advantage in this area.

China refuses to back down?

According to reports, China is constructing this bridge to connect to Rutog in the lake’s northern reaches. China will no longer have to drive 200 kilometres to reach Rutog after building this bridge. The distance to Rutog will be cut by around 150 kilometres. It was a strong indicator, according to Ashok Swain, chairman of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University in Sweden, that China had no plans to withdraw from those territories.

Since 1960, China has occupied the land where it is constructing bridges. China has been illegally occupying the land where the bridge is being built since 1960, according to the Indian authorities.

India has never recognised this unlawful occupation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

For more than 20 months, India and China have been at odds in Eastern Ladakh. Between the two countries, there has also been a brutal war. India and China have held 14 rounds of negotiations so far, but the issue does not appear to have been resolved.