Satellite Images Show Increased Chinese Activity Along Border Ahead Of Skirmish With India

TOPLINE

The Chinese military brought in pieces of machinery, constructed roads and possibly dammed a river in the Himalayan mountains in the lead up to a fatal clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the contested border region between two countries, Reuters reported, citing satellite images from Planet Labs.

KEY FACTS

Critical Quote

Hawkeye 360 CEO John Serafini said that his company’s “commercial satellite constellation detected increased radio frequency (RF) activity along the Galwan River Valley in China as early as May 29.” He adds that the image Planet Labs took on June 11 “reveals extensive vehicles, tents, and equipment along the valley. Given the large amount of equipment and trucks, it feasibly could be as much as a brigade-level deployment.”

Key Background

Clashes between the Indian and Chinese military in the disputed mountain region of Ladakh led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers on Tuesday. While there is no official acknowledgement of deaths of Chinese soldiers, Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the state-controlled Global Times newspaper, tweeted that there had been casualties on the Chinese side as well. Indian news agency ANI, citing sources, reported that there had been 43 deaths on the Chinese side. In a strongly-worded televised address on Wednesday the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that “India wants peace, but if instigated, India at all costs is capable of giving an appropriate response.” Foreign ministers of both countries, however, agreed to de-escalate the tension by saying that  “Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocols,” NDTV reported. This is the first time since 1975 that Indian soldiers have been killed in a border clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. A report by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace stated that the timing of current Chinese action which includes the incremental acquisition of claimed territories along the Sino-Indian borderlands “resembles the patterns Beijing’s behavior has exhibited elsewhere in the world such as the South China Sea.”