China psy-ops unbated, thermal shelters for PLA in Ladakh latest brag

As the harsh winter of the Himalayas along the India-China border in Ladakh has been approaching, the PLA on Thursday showed off its ready-made fabricated thermal shelters which can function properly in temperatures as low as (minus) -55 C and at an altitude of 5,500 meters. However, by projecting these, the PLA is giving away its prime weaknesses—of the lack of battle experience to a fondness for comfort in a conflict one, reports senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi:In Chinese warcraft, the place of master military strategist Sun Tzu is central. In adherence to his tenets, the PLA has unleashed psychological warfare against India that focuses on highlighting and bragging about Chinese military capabilities in order to lower the morale of India forces.

With the frontier confrontation that began in April-May showing no signs of easing despite the arrival of the brutal winter at the doorstep, logistics and infrastructure are what is bothering both militaries as the adversaries dig in for the cold.

From drones carrying hot food to soldiers deployed at super-altitude positions to larger-than-life videos of its military arsenal to high-tech clothing, the PLA on Thursday showed off its ready-made fabricated thermal shelters engaged in several stand-off positions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The state-owned ‘Global Times’ splashed a picture on its website showing ready-to-assemble thermal shelters for the PLA soldiers that are insulated from the freezing cold outside.

According to the Global Times, the shelters are designed in a way that they can be set up and assembled according to the number of occupants and comprise “dormitories, canteens, washing rooms, toilets, warehouses, microgrids and heating equipment - can function properly in temperatures as low as (minus) -55 C and at an altitude of 5,500 meters”.

But in doing so, the PLA is giving away its prime weaknesses—of the lack of battle experience to a fondness for comfort in a conflict zone.

On the other hand, India has soldiers serving in the India-China frontier who have been deployed at the world’s highest battlefield at Siachen and where the weather elements are more hostile than in eastern Ladakh.

The logistics and infrastructure facilities for the Indian army have also improved rapidly over the course of the last few years.

The latest PLA moves are also noteworthy before the two sides meet for the seventh corps commander- level meeting between the Indian Army and the PLA on Monday.

Although both sides have agreed not to add to the huge deployment of men and material on both sides of the frontier and also in-depth areas, the situation is showing signs of slipping away from grasp.

China’s latest position on the border issue is a much-hardened one now with the adoption of a regressive demand seeking restoration of territories on the basis of a unilateral delineation proposed by Chinese PM Chou En Lai to his Indian counterpart Jawaharlal Nehru in a letter in 1959.