Vehicles Cross China’s Now-Complete Pangong Lake Bridge | Pragativadi

New Delhi: China has completed construction of a 400-metre bridge. The bridge, which lies in territory held by China since 1958, is near the Line of Actual Control between India and China in Ladakh and gives Chinese forces the ability to speedily move troops between the North and South bank of the Pangong Lake.

“The new bridge over Pangong Lake grants Chinese forces a direct, shorter route for rapid troop deployment,” says Damien Symon, a satellite imagery expert and researcher with The Intel Lab. “Previously, the People’s Liberation Army had to navigate the lake’s entire eastern section to reach conflict zones, a lengthy detour that hampered their response time in an active conflict zone.”

The construction of the new bridge, it is believed, could cut the travel distance between both banks of the lake by close to 50-100 kilometers, or several hours in travel time.

The new satellite images show road access linking the new bridge to an existing road network on the North bank of Pangong which leads to the Khurnak Fort, an ancient Tibetan structure. China had wrested control of the Khurnak Fort in July 1958 despite previous Indian Army patrols to the area.

On the South-bank of the Lake, a new road has been constructed, one that links the bridge to Rutog, a Chinese garrison town and known munitions hub. “The bridge enhances connectivity between China’s forward and deep forces underscoring China’s commitment to solidifying its territorial claims against India by modifying the landscape to its advantage.”