After LAC clash, China Parliament to mull expanded border drone use

The annual convening of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), or Parliament, on March 5 will hear a proposal for the wider deployment of more advanced drones along border areas, with a legislator proposing the move in the wake of last year’s clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The proposal is being submitted by one of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) representatives at the NPC, which is widely regarded as a ceremonial legislature that usually approves most of the proposals it receives. The Communist Party of China exercises control over all branches of state, including the legislature. The NPC convenes every year and approves policies, including an annual government work report that sets the policy agenda, as well as the defence budget for the military.