'Chinese village' from Pentagon report a PLA settlement: Arunachal official
A site along the disputed area near Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district has been turned into a military camp of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), an official reportedly said. Incidentally, the United States Pentagon had recently listed the site as a "civilian village" on Chinese construction. Reportedly, the "village" lies within Indian territory and is located on the banks of the River Tsari Chu.
- The latest development comes as India has admitted to "small transgressions" along the Indo-China border, called the Line of Actual Control.
- The "village" was reportedly established last year.
- Notably, both countries have a varied perception of the LAC which leads to frequent friction. China also claims Arunachal Pradesh in its entirety.
- India and China have been engaged in a border row since March 2020.
The disputed settlement was far from a "civilian village," Additional Deputy Commissioner DJ Borah told The Times of India. Borah was posted in the Kaduka division of Upper Subansiri and had reportedly conducted a survey in 2020. "What we saw were several big houses that looked like installations built for military purposes," Borah told TOI.
The US Department of Defence or "the Pentagon" had recently released a report referring to the installation as a "100-home Chinese village." The report has been submitted to the US Congress. China established the village inside the disputed territory "sometime in 2020" amid the India-China border standoff, the report said. Such constructions are "a source of consternation in the Indian government and media."
Earlier this January, reports said that the Chinese village was located approximately 4.5 km within Indian territory of the de facto border. China has reportedly maintained a small military outpost in the region for over a decade. At the time, the central government had said that it is keeping a "constant watch" on all developments having a bearing on national security.
Until the 1962 Sino-Indian war, India the disputed area used to serve as the last Indian Army post. It was reportedly called the Maza Camp. As China advanced, the region was taken over. Tensions between India and China have remained high since a series of border escalations starting March 2020, when the two nations' forces faced off near Ladakh's Pangong Tso lake.
