China deploys new CCS-5 missiles on borders with India

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 17 (PTI) China has moved new advanced

longer range CSS-5 missiles close to the borders with India

and developed contingency plans to shift airborne forces at

short notice to the region, according to Pentagon.

Despite increased political and economic relationship

between India and China, the Pentagon in a report to the US

Congress said, tensions remain along the Sino-India borders

with rising instances of border violation and aggressive

border patrolling by Chinese soldiers.

However, a senior Defense Department official told

reporters that the US has not observed any anomalous increase

in military capabilities along the Sino-India border.

Noting that China continues to maintain its position on

what its territorial claim is, the official said, the two

capitals – Beijing and New Delhi - have been able to manage

this dispute, in a way, using confidence-building measures and

diplomatic mechanisms to be able to maintain relative

stability in that border area.

"But it's something that China continues to watch; but

I wouldn't say that there's anything in this report that

demonstrates a spike or an anomalous increase in military

capabilities along the border.

"It's something that China's paying very careful

attention to. It's obviously something that India is paying

careful attention to as well," the Senior Defense Department

official said.

In its annual report, the US Defence department said, to

improve regional deterrence, the PLA has replaced older

liquid-fueled, nuclear capable CCS-3 intermediate range

missiles with more advanced and survivable fueled CSS-5 MRBMs.

"China is currently engaged in massive road and rail

infrastructure development along the Sino-India border

primarily to facilitate economic development in western China:

improved roads also support PLA operations," the Pentagon

said.

The report presented to the Congress said despite

increased political and economic relations over the years

between China and India, tensions remain along their shared

4,057 km border, most notably over Arunachal Pradesh, which

China asserts as part of Tibet and therefore of China, and

over the Aksai Chin region at the western end of the Tibetan

Plateau.

"Both countries, in 2009, stepped up efforts to assert

their claims. China tried to block a USD 2.9 billion loan to

India from the Asian Development Bank, claiming part of the

loan would have been used for water projects in Arunachal

Pradesh. This represented the first time China sought to

influence this dispute through a multilateral institution,"

the Pentagon said. (MORE) PTI LKJ PRY

AKD




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