Why is it in the News?

Chinese nationals have started occupying several of their model “Xiaokang” border defence villages across India’s north-eastern borders which the country has been building along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 2019.

News Summary:

• Chinese activity has been observed in several villages situated on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) opposite the Lohit Valley and the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Over the past five years, China has been undertaking the construction of 628 "well-off villages" along India's borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region, encompassing regions like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The precise purpose of these villages remains ambiguous, although the structures are believed to serve as "dual-use infrastructure," serving both civilian and military functions.

What is the Line of Actual Control (LAC)?

• The LAC serves as the boundary separating areas under Indian administration from those under Chinese administration.
• However, it is not a formally agreed-upon boundary, lacking delineation on maps or physical demarcation on the ground.
• India views the LAC as approximately 3,488 km in length, while China's perspective estimates it to be around 2,000 km.
• The LAC is segmented into three sectors: the eastern sector covering Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector spanning Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh.
• India's official boundary line, as depicted on maps released by the Survey of India, encompasses both Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan, diverging from the LAC.
• Consequently, the LAC does not coincide with India's claim line.
• For China, the LAC generally aligns with its claim line, except in the eastern sector, where it asserts control over the entire territory of Arunachal Pradesh, which it regards as South Tibet.

Dispute over the LAC and Controversy Surrounding Claim Lines in Ladakh:

• India disputes the validity of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), asserting that it is a construct devised by China.
• The Chinese demarcation appears as a series of disconnected points on a map, lacking a clear and consistent delineation.
• India contends that the line should exclude territorial gains made through aggression in 1962 and instead reflect the positions as of September 8, 1962, before the Chinese incursion.
• This ambiguity in the Chinese definition of the LAC leaves room for China to pursue incremental changes on the ground through military actions, as evidenced by the clash in the Galwan Valley between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA in 2020.
• Aksai Chin, located in the Ladakh region of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was not part of British India, despite being under British Empire control.
• As a result, while the eastern boundary was clearly defined in 1914 with the signing of the Shimla Agreement on the McMahon Line by British India, the western boundary in Ladakh remained unresolved.
• These historical maps, still officially recognized today, formed the basis of engagements with China, ultimately culminating in the 1962 War.

Infrastructure Development along the LAC:

• Consistently, China has enhanced its existing infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), focusing on improving connectivity through mountain passes, constructing roads, bridges, and model villages.
• Additionally, China has been constructing infrastructure, including border villages, within Bhutanese territory.
• Over the past three to four years, India has intensified efforts to bolster its border infrastructure, encompassing initiatives to enhance forward connectivity, establish alternative routes to the LAC, and connect remote areas.
• India's Vibrant Villages program aims to modernise 663 border villages, providing them with essential amenities in the initial phase.
  • Notably, 17 of these villages located along the borders with China in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh have been earmarked for development as pilot projects under this program.
• Moreover, significant progress is underway on three major highways in Arunachal Pradesh:
  • The Trans-Arunachal Highway
  • The Frontier Highway, and
  • The East-West Industrial Corridor Highway.