[Global Times comprehensive report] According to the report of India's First Post on the 16th, in order to support the combat operations on the border between China and India, the Indian army has established two "the highest tank maintenance facilities in the world" near the so-called "Ladak" real control line.

Indian media reported that after the border confrontation between China and India in 2020, a large number of tanks, BMP infantry combat vehicles and Indian made "quick reaction combat vehicles" and other armored vehicles were deployed in the east of "Ladak". Indian army officials said that "tanks and infantry fighting vehicles are deployed in these ultra-high altitude areas, and it is even difficult to transport them back for maintenance and repair". For this reason, they built two medium-sized maintenance facilities in the main concentration area of tank and armored personnel carrier operations in the eastern "Ladak" area. These areas are up to 14500 feet above sea level.

Indian military officials said that these new maintenance centers will help the Indian Army improve the effectiveness and availability of armored combat vehicles. India Today mentioned that one of the maintenance facilities is only 25km away from the Chinese border. General Pand, Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, inspected the maintenance facilities of armored combat vehicles on May 11.      

Qian Feng, a researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Tsinghua University and an expert on India, told the Global Times on the 17th that India has built maintenance facilities in the "Norma" and "Doula Special Oridi" areas with an altitude of more than 4000 meters, demonstrating the dual nature of India's saying one thing and doing another. "Previously, Indian military and political officials have repeatedly publicly acknowledged the importance of China India relations, and believed that the two countries should continue to commit themselves to the military diplomatic channels to negotiate and deal with border issues; but from the perspective of Indian actions, on the one hand, they have strengthened the deployment of military forces on the Indian side of the border, and on the other hand, they have also strengthened the construction of logistics facilities, indicating the intention of the Indian army's long-term military deployment in the region," Qian Feng said, Such inconsistency between India's words and deeds is bound to undermine the mutual trust formed by the 21 rounds of military commander level talks between the two militaries in February this year, making the settlement of the border issue between China and India more complicated. (Guo Yuandan)

Editor in charge: Trish