India pressing ahead to bolster border defences against China amid reports of intrusion

India is gearing up to build a so-called "China Wall" to secure its land borders along the north and northeast as well as in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal amid recent reports of Chinese intrusion. Additionally, India is also working towards improving the infrastructure to help establish better defence facilities in the region to thwart enemy attacks.

The world's second most populous nation started deploying additional Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets, spy drones and missiles along its northeastern border and started moving tanks and additional troops to eastern Ladakh to secure the northern frontier that shares close to 1500km of its international border with China.

On Friday (19 August), India will activate an advanced landing ground (ALG) in Pasighat, a town in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, in a strategic move to facilitate aircraft and helicopter operations from the region. This will be the fifth such landing ground in the state. Similar mechanisms are already operational in Daulat Beg Oldi and Nyoma locations in Ladakh.

"The ALG will not only improve our response time to different operational contingencies, but also the efficacy of the overall air operations on the eastern front," an officer was quoted by The Times of India as saying.

"While Ziro, Along, Mechuka and Walong ALGs are now operational, Tuting should be ready by December 31 and Tawang by April 30 next year," the officer added, referring to existing and upcoming advanced landing ground facilities in Arunachal that shares more than 1000km of its international border with China.

The Indian government has also approved many infrastructure development projects in the Andaman and Nicobar Command, defence ministry sources told the paper. The union territory has so far faced neglect, but concerns about possible Chinese intrusion through the Indian Ocean has led the government to take measures to boost defence systems in the archipelago in India's Bay of Bengal.

India has already started deploying Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets and C-130J Super Hercules aircrafts, the long-range patrol and anti-submarine warfare Poseidon-8I aircraft at the Andaman and Nicobar Command that can serve as a strategic location to launch counter attacks against China.