China built significant military infrastructure since 2020 standoff with India: U.S. report

2024 US Congress report highlights PLA's aggressive actions in Indo-Pacific, military infrastructure escalation along LAC, and border disputes with India.

Throughout 2023, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) adopted more coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific region while accelerating its development of capabilities and concepts to strengthen China’s ability to “fight and win wars” against a “strong enemy,” the annual report to the US Congress said, while stating that along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) China has not scaled back its military presence and the standoff with India in 2020 also saw significant and sustained escalation in military infrastructure.

“The Western Theatre Command’s (WTC) primary focus is on securing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) border with India. In recent years, differing perceptions between India and the PRC regarding border demarcations have facilitated multiple clashes, force buildups, and military infrastructure construction,” the 2024 report to the US Congress on the military and security developments involving the PRC said, referring to the developments along the LAC since the standoff.

Referring to the violent clash in Galwan in June 2020, the report said the PLA “has not drawn down its positions or troop numbers since the 2020 clash and has built infrastructure and support facilities to maintain multiple Brigade deployments along the LAC.”

“These engagements coincide with a significant and sustained escalation in military infrastructure to support a long-term presence on the LAC,” the report said, referring to the developments on the LAC since the standoff.

In November, India and China reached an agreement on disengagement and the resumption of patrolling from Demchok and Depsang in Eastern Ladakh, the last two friction points of the 2020 standoff, returning to the status quo of pre-April 2020.

Noting that since 1998, the PRC has settled 11 land-based territorial disputes with six of its neighbours, the report observed that in the last decade, the PRC has employed a “more coercive” approach to deal with disputes over maritime features, rights to potentially rich offshore oil and gas deposits, and border areas.

On overall readiness, the report observed that the PLA continued to improve its methods and standards of training combined arms units. “Training encompassed individual to collective soldier events integrating reconnaissance, infantry, artillery, armor, engineers, and signal units,” it stated, adding that in addition to continued deployments on the Indian border and in Myanmar, the PLA conducted multiple large-scale exercises in training areas throughout the country. In this, the report added, that in 2020, PLA Special Operations Forces from the Tibet Military Region were deployed on the border with India following the standoff.