At a time when India is trying to persuade China to withdraw from positions it has occupied in Ladakh since May 2020, NDTV reported on Tuesday that new satellite images accessed by it indicate that a Chinese village, constructed 9 kms east of the Doklam plateau, where Indian and Chinese forces faced off in 2017, is now fully inhabited with cars parked at the doorsteps of virtually every home. The village, which Beijing calls Pangda, lies squarely within Bhutanese territory.
In 2017, Indian soldiers physically prevented Chinese workers from getting to this ridge in Doklam, called Jhamperi. There is now a concern that China is trying to bypass Indian defences to the West by approaching the same ridge through this alternative axis. This is a worrying development. The Chinese seem intent on capturing as much land as possible. Their menacing attitude should worry India. There have been 16 rounds of talks so far between Indian and Chinese officials to try to resolve the Ladakh standoff. But till now no substantial headway has been made. The Chinese side continues to refuse to vacate the area captured by them. The government of India is also yet to come to a conclusion on the issue. They have not made public how much land has been illegally occupied by the Chinese PLA. There is a need for greater transparency in this regard. The Chinese continue to behave very menacingly along the border.