‘China was building up airbase, infrastructure near the LAC for last 2 years’

New Delhi: Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was trying to get access to a 17,000 feet high peak in Arunachal Pradesh from October this year, and since then, has doubled its troops along its side of the LAC, an Indian Army source said on Wednesday.

China was not active just from October only but they were creating an infrastructure alongside the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh since 2020. China built an airbases too at their side, near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, the source said.

According to the sources, the building up of Chinese infrastructure, started just before the Communist Party of China commenced its 20th Congress.

After increasing its strength, the PLA on December 9 tried to get access to the strategically-important Arunachal peak but India had also matched the numbers and resisted them.

Fully prepared and aware Indian Army troops defeated the Chinese in their attempt, and in this clash, a total of 34 Indian and more than 40 Chinese soldiers got injuries, the army source said.

Six of the Indian Soldier who got injuries during the clash were admitted to the military hospital at Guwahati, but there is no reports of any serious injury.

The clash between Indian army and Chinese PLA on December 9 occurred along the section of the LAC at Yangtse, some 35 km north- east of Tawang in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the first physical clash between the two armies since August 2020 in eastern Ladakh.

Satellite images also shows that China has built villages near the border with Tawang in Arunachal Pardesh. The Chinese PLA army has also constructed a road on that side. Chinese Army had arrived near the Indian post on LAC on 9 December with 300 soldiers, under a well-planned conspiracy, an Indian Army source said on Tuesday.

After the tension erupted in Arunachal Pradesh, now Indian Air Force aircraft are patrolling the skies of Arunachal to prevent the Chinese Army from violating the LAC.