How India is countering China's provocation on LAC, borders

China has actively been investing in BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) projects across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) besides claiming Arunachal Pradesh as part of Beijing’s expansionist policy. India, however, is now using its influence in the new world order and also deploying its soft power to counter China’s aggressive posture on the eastern frontier.

The US Congressional delegation led by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with the Dalai Lama at his residence in the north Indian hillside town of Dharamshala this week, which is also home to the Tibetan government-in-exile. The move was apparently aimed at allowing a global power and China’s rival to use the Tibet issue to exert pressure on Beijing’s communist regime.

Infrastructure push after Galwan clash

The June 2020 violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley, Ladakh, saw India revisit its frontier infrastructure policy along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. This confrontation, the most severe in 45 years, resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel.

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Despite numerous military and diplomatic engagements, the border standoff remains unresolved. The tensions at the LAC in eastern Ladakh began escalating in April 2020. China started mobilising a significant number of troops along the border, violating existing bilateral protocols. This episode compelled India to prioritise ramping up its border infrastructure to enhance its strategic capabilities to deal with any peculiar situations.

Development of 90 key border projects to counter Beijing’s build-up at LAC

These 90 infrastructure projects, with a combined cost of Rs 2,941 crore, have been executed by BRO (Border Road Organisation) across 11 states and Union Territories. The move is part of efforts to bridge the substantial border infrastructure gap with China.

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Among these projects, 36 are in Arunachal Pradesh, 26 in Ladakh, and 11 in Jammu and Kashmir. They follow the completion of 103 projects worth around Rs 2,900 crore in 2022 and 102 projects costing over Rs 2,200 crore in 2021.

Some of these projects are in the pipeline. These projects ranging from the pivotal Nechiphu tunnel on the road to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to revamped airfields, helipads, roads, and bridges, mark a significant stride in bolstering India’s border infrastructure.

Arunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway

India has unveiled plans for the Arunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway (AFH), officially known as NH-913. This extensive project will cover 1,748 kilometres and is projected to cost ₹27,000 crores.

The highway will be constructed roughly 20 kilometres from the LAC and the McMahon Line, near the border regions of India, Tibet, China, and Myanmar. Upon completion, it will become one of India’s major strategic corridors, traversing the highly contested areas between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh.

The AFH will enhance connectivity in the most remote parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which are also territories China claims as South Tibet. Moreover, it will be of significant strategic value to India, fortifying the nation’s defence infrastructure in this sensitive border region.

Sela Tunnel

The construction of Sela Tunnel, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, connects Guwahati in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, has rattled China, which made another rhetorical claim of the Indian state being its territory soon after the tunnel was thrown open.

At 13,000 feet, the tunnel is the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel, bypassing the snow-bound Sela Pass. It drastically reduces travel time, enhancing rapid movement of troops, weapons, and supplies along the sensitive India-China border.

The new highway infrastructure not only connects the remote regions of Arunachal Pradesh but also bolsters India’s defences. The Eastern Command of the Indian Army has maintained that there have been no Chinese incursions into Arunachal Pradesh since 1959. However, the area continues to be a hotbed of India-China tensions.