The South China Morning Post reported on December 14, 2017, that in a bid to tighten control of its borders and prepare for any future problems in the region, China is improving its military infrastructure, including new mortar and gun positions, at a site between five and 10km from the site of this summer’s stand-off on the Doklam Plateau. Citing Indian media reports which quoted satellite imagery acquired on December 3, the SCMP said the images show the presence of at least nine three-storey buildings and almost 300 large vehicles, suggesting that almost a whole troop division had been stationed in Yadong county in Tibet. It said China has also deployed troops 50km further away in the Chumbi valley. Long Xingchun, a South Asian affairs expert from China West Normal University, said that with the new facilities, Beijing could upgrade from seasonal patrols to year-round ones in the region. “This is a signal that China will enhance border controls in the future when Beijing has a larger budget and better infrastructure building techniques.” Li Li, a South Asian affairs specialist from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the impact on other parties depended on how China mobilised its forces there.
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