China building multiple villages along borders with India, satellite images reveal

This village appears to be within the survey of India and McMahon line boundary, said the tweet. (Image: Twitter/@detresfa_)

An analyst has shared satellite images laying out evidence that China is constructing villages in disputed sections of its borders with India and Bhutan. A satellite image expert, who uses the handle @detresfa_, said the new village “appears to be within the survey of India and McMahon line boundary”.

“This village appears to be within the survey of India and McMahon line boundary,” the tweet said. The McMahon line was drawn at the Simla Convention of 1913-14 between British India, Tibet and China. However, China treats the Line as illegal.

This village appears to be within the survey of #India & McMahon line boundary, geography however, restricts access allowing #Beijing to move unchallenged, such land grabs alter maps & promote sinicization of local features hindering future challenges to Indian territorial claims https://t.co/5AJCMiSGcL pic.twitter.com/3hmFCGlOYT

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— d-atis (@detresfa_) November 18, 2021

In another tweet, the Twitter user showed evidence that China has built at least four new villages nearly three to four kilometres within disputed territory along the border with Bhutan. These villages are in an area of about 100 sq km near Doklam, the region where Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a face-off for 73 days in 2017.

The satellite images of the area showed no construction activity within the disputed region of about 100 sq km in May 2020. However, in November 2021, the same region showed four villages where construction work was still ongoing.

Disputed land between #Bhutan & #China near Doklam shows construction activity between 2020-21, multiple new villages spread through an area roughly 100 km² now dot the landscape, is this part of a new agreement or enforcement of #China's territorial claims ? pic.twitter.com/9m1n5zCAt4

— d-atis (@detresfa_) November 17, 2021

According to the images, there are several rows of houses and roads at all the four villages. Of these, two villages are larger than the other two and all are located in mountainous terrain.

The Twitter user further shared a map showing “some general locations identifying various cross border activities undertaken by China into Bhutan over the years, allowing for an overview of the "Salami Slicing".”

Meanwhile, an NDTV report based on satellite imagery has claimed that “China has constructed a second enclave or cluster of at least 60 buildings in Arunachal Pradesh”.

Analysing the images, the report said that the new enclave did not exist in 2019 but a year later, it can be seen.