Amid Tensions With India, China Completes 400m Bridge Near Pangong Lake

New Delhi: Amid long-standing tensions which refuse to die down, China has completed the construction of a 400-metre bridge near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

NDTV has accessed satellite images from July 22 which reveal that the bridge is now black-topped, with light motor vehicles plying across it.

High-resolution images of the under-construction bridge were first published on ndtv.com in January 2022.

The bridge, which lies in territory held by China since 1958, gives Chinese forces the scope to speedily move troops between North and South bank of Pangong Lake, reported NDTV.com.

“The new bridge over Pangong Lake grants Chinese forces a direct, shorter route for rapid troop deployment. 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,” said Damien Symon, a satellite imagery expert and researcher with The Intel Lab.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) referred to its previous statement when NDTV sought its reaction on the latest development.

“This bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under illegal occupation by China for around 60 years now. As you are well aware India has never accepted such illegal occupation,” MEA reiterated.

The latest images show road access linking the new bridge to an existing road network on North bank of Pangong leading to Khurnak Fort, an ancient Tibetan structure.