China Building Mammoth Heliport On Tibetan Plateau Amid Border Tensions With India

The Chinese belligerence on the Taiwan Strait may have fixed the world's attention in the country's eastern region, but Beijing is slowly ramping up military power along its western borders too, prove satellite images.

New images show China is developing a new airbase and building new heliports across the Tibetan Plateau, reported The Drive.

Tibetan Plateau, the world's largest, is situated in southwestern part of China and is surrounded by mountain ranges, including the Himalayas. The Himalayas also acts as a barrier between the plateau and India, with whom China has a border conflict.

The territorial dispute between the two nations escalated last year. Since then both countries have deployed troops in the Ladakh region, which saw multiple face-offs.

The satellite images show a mammoth heliport under construction in Golumud, the northern edge of the plateau. As many as 63 individual hangars are also visible, along with barracks and support buildings. The report said a review of the images suggests the work began in early 2020 and is almost completed.

Golmud hosts a major railway junction connecting China's Tibet Autonomous Region to Xining and Korla, two large cities. These cities are also known to serve as bases for a variety of PLA military contingents.

According to the report, the presence of a large heliport here would enhance China’s troop movements and logistical operations towards any section of the Sino-Indo border. The combination of the airbase, railways, and heliport also converts Golmud into a logistics hub capable of supporting any military mobilization, the Drive reported.

Several heliports were also spotted deep into Tibet, which hosts around 18 hangars. They also appear to have their fuel storage and servicing points, thereby helping connectivity and ensure sustainability for operations between large distances.

Renovations and expansion activity are also being carried out at older pre-existing heliports such as the one in Lhasa. Smaller heliports are being developed near Doklam and Aksai Chin, not too far from areas where India and China have regularly clashed. The report said these ports would enhace "troop movement for the Chinese forces allowing for rapid response and support in case of any future clashes."

Not just China, India too is fortifying its border. Recent reports said India was deploying U.S.-made weaponry, including Chinook helicopters, ultralight towed howitzers, rifles as well as domestically-made supersonic cruise missiles, along its border with China.

According to an Indian Army Commander, boots, armour, artillery and air support were being combined to make the force "agile, lean and mean so that we can employ faster."

With tensions worsening, the People’s Liberation Army recently deployed at least one long-range strategic H-6K bomber to its borders with India.