Amid the rising tensions in the border between China and India, the two countries are attempting to out-build each other by structuring along the highly-disputed Himalayan border.
Continuing border disputes
India's new road to a high-altitude forward airbase is allegedly one of the main reasons for clashes with Chinese troops last month that caused the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese military troops.
The road stretches for 255 kilometers and is named the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road and goes through several mountain passes up to the highest airstrip located more than 5,000 meters above sea level in the region of Ladakh.
According to BBC, the road was finished last year after more than 20 years of construction. It could potentially allow India to increase the mobility of its troops and equipment during a conflict.
The clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15 gave way to heightened tensions between the two countries that threatened a much bigger dispute. The two nuclear powers never agreed on the exact position of the border that stretches for 3,500 kilometers.
The armies of the two nations, which are considered to be two of the largest in the world, frequently met across the Himalayan border.
Both India and China have continuously reinforced the border with finances and workforce to aid in the construction of roads, rail links, and airfields along the region's Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is the de-facto boundary that separates the two countries.
Several constructions by India, including the DSDBO road, have seemingly caught the attention of China. However, the Asian giant has been more focused on building its own structures for several years.
The two nations both treat each other's developments along the disputed border as a tactical move to gain an advantage over the other. Whenever a new project is announced, tensions between them would rise.
A repeat of the past
In 2017, China attempted to extend one of its border roads near a tri-junction located between India, China, and Bhutan which caused a stand-off between military troops at Doklam plateau located east of Ladakh.
The recent tense border disputes between India and China have been raging on for 13 weeks which surpassed the Doklam plateau's stand-off that lasted for 72 days, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
The two countries have conducted nine rounds of diplomatic and military talks to calm tensions at the border. The talks included two meetings where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked with India Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Wang's discussions with India's National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval.
On Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, said that two militaries' disengagement in some parts of the border has been completed but suggested the entire dispute was far from over.
Wang noted that the two countries were working together and had been heading towards a path of developing calm and peaceful situations, noting that both India and China will continue discussing at the military level to decide on what to do next.
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